Early election results from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office show a slight lead in favor of Proposition 208, a measure that wants to improve school funding by raising taxes on wealthy residents.
As of 11:30 p.m., the measure has more than 54% of the votes counted so far. This has Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, and other backers feeling confident.
→ If This Year’s Arizona Ballot Initiatives Pass, How Soon Do They Take Effect?
“I think it is a clear statement that the voters of Arizona not only see the need but they found a revenue source that they support to permanently dedicate target funding to each school in the state," said Thomas.
Garrick Taylor is a spokesman for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, one of the groups against Proposition 208. He says the chamber will be monitoring results throughout the night and expects it will be a close race.
"We just believe that this is the wrong plan for Arizona. This does tremendous damage to our competitive standing and it’s a conversation that we will continue to have with Arizonans in the days, weeks, months and years ahead," Taylor said.
He says regardless of whether Prop. 208 passes or fails, its the chamber’s job to keep Arizona competitive and to attract jobs.
