Members of the group Save Our Schools said they will turn in more than 100,000 petition signatures Tuesday to block Gov. Doug Ducey’s expanded school voucher program, which is set to go into effect Wednesday.
If the Secretary of State finds 75,321 of those signatures are valid, Arizona voters would decide on the initiative in the 2018 election.
However, history has shown lawmakers can repeal and rewrite legislation that could bypass voters in the long run.
But, voucher supporter and House Majority Leader John Allen warned of voter fatigue and suggested supporters for the voucher expansion use a public relations campaign instead.
"The opposition is called, ‘Save Our Schools,’ It's not 'Educate Our Kids,'" Allen said. “This is about the status quo educational system versus the things we're going to have to do in the future to get quality education."
Other lawmakers supporting the voucher expansion say it’s unlikely the Save Our Schools petition will get approval once the Secretary of State’s office inspects the signatures under strict qualifying rules.