Opponents of Arizona's new universal private school voucher program have succeeded in blocking the law until voters can weigh in next year. Officials in Maricopa County finished checking a random sampling of anti-voucher signatures today.
Across the state, 111,000 signatures were gathered, and now county recorders are saying that enough of those signatures have been certified that the voucher law will be put on the ballot in 2018.
Republican lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey enacted the voucher proposal this spring.
Under Arizona law, it can be blocked though a signature-gathering effort. Backers say vouchers give parents more choice and they've filed a lawsuit seeking to throw out the voter referendum effort.
Opponents argue vouchers siphon money from cash-starved public schools.
