Watch a debate over Proposition 140, which would end partisan primaries in Arizona, above.
If passed, there would be no partisan primaries in Arizona. Rather, candidates would appear on a single ballot, and a certain number would advance to the general election.
Prop. 140 chair Paul Johnson says the current primary system fosters hyper-partisanship and makes it harder for candidates to compromise on polarizing issues.
"It’s intentionally done by the two parties because they don’t want Independents to be able to participate," Johnson said.
But attorney Brennan Bowen argues Prop. 140 would lead to a massive overhaul of the state’s election system.
"That will make elections more confusing, more costly, harder to administrate, create longer wait lines for voting, and receiving results, and will be difficult to change if people are unsatisfied with it," Bowen said.
-
Find everything you need to know about elections in Arizona and Maricopa County from KJZZ's politics team.
-
Heading into the 2026 general election in Arizona, residents will not see the governor or lieutenant governor candidates debate.
-
A clean-energy slate narrowly won control of SRP’s district board in April. They just lost it.
-
The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission voted to release hundreds of thousands of dollars in public campaign funding to Republican Ralph Heap, despite finding “reason to believe” he violated state campaign finance laws.
-
At a meeting Friday, the executive director of the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission will ask commissioners to continue withholding campaign funding from Republican Ralph Heap over concerns he violated state campaign finance laws.