On November 2, Arizona voters voted on Proposition 112, to move the petition deadline for initiatives from four months before the general election, to six months before the general election.  Arizona has now counted all ballots, and the measure stands at 792,697 votes in favor, to 792,825 votes against.  With a margin of only 128 votes, the measure will be recounted.  See this story.

The Arizona ballot pamphlet contains ten paid messages advocating that voters pass Proposition 112, and no message or argument advocating a “no” vote.  The legislature had put this measure on the ballot with unanimous votes in both houses.  Elections officials wanted the earlier deadline because it is difficult to check initiative petitions in time for the ballots to be printed in early September, when the petition deadline is in early July.

In 2008, when the 9th circuit struck down Arizona’s early June petition deadline for independent candidates, in a case filed by Ralph Nader, one of Nader’s arguments was that an early June petition deadline wasn’t really needed, because the state had a July petition deadline for initiatives.  After Nader won the case, the legislature moved the independent presidential petition to early September, but moved the independent petition deadline for candidates for other office to May.  The initiative petition deadline is in the State Constitution so it can’t be changed without a popular vote.