Proposition 140, also known as the Make Elections Fair Act, was proposed by the Make Elections Fair PAC to create a single primary for all candidates in an election, regardless of their political affiliation.

Sarah Smallhouse, the chairman of the PAC and the leader of Prop 140, said the initiative would have removed barriers for independent and unaffiliated voters. 

“Those voters who are unaffiliated with a political party are second class citizens in our present system…I believe all these problems could be improved with a less partisan and more inclusive election process,” she said.   

Some opponents argue that the proposition, which includes rank choice voting, could have made elections more confusing for voters and significantly alter many parts of the Arizona Constitution. 

Andrew Gould, a former Arizona Supreme Court Justice and the Co-Chair of the vote no on Prop 140 initiative said changing existing statutes, including lowering the number of signatures required for independent candidates to be on the ballot, would be an easier alternative to Prop 140. 

“To me, simpler solutions are always better than rewriting massive portions of the Constitution, which Prop 140 would do, because there's always unintended consequences,” he said. 

Prop 140 proposed that all candidates in the primary would be on the same ballot, regardless of party affiliation. 

The Arizona Legislature would then decide how many candidates would move on to the general election. 

This process is similar to the top-two primary in California, but the system could range from a top-two primary to a top-five primary. 

If the Legislature did not come to a decision by Nov. 1, 2025, the Arizona Secretary of State would be in charge of deciding how many candidates would advance to the general election.

The majority voting system would then be used in the general election. 

If a candidate were to receive the most votes, but not the majority of votes, voters would participate in ranked choice voting to determine the winning candidate. 

According to the Secretary of State’s office, independent and unaffiliated voters make up a large portion of Arizona’s registered voters. 

Voters that were registered as “other” in the October 2024 election made up about 34% of the total vote.

By comparison, Republicans made up about 36% of the vote and Democrats were about 29%. 

Daniel Maldonado, an Non-profit Leadership and Management major at ASU and a registered independent, said he voted yes on Prop 140 because he wanted the voting process for independent voters to be easier.  

He said the fact that independent voters have to request a partisan ballot in the primary makes the system more difficult. 

“There were some [candidates] we do like, and some [candidates] we don’t like…but we weren’t even able to vote on them during the…primary,” he said.

Selma Krantz, a Health Sciences major at ASU said she voted no on Prop 140 because the proposition includes an added risk of only one party being present on the ballot in the general election.

She also said rank choice voting needs to be further tested.

“I feel [ranked choice voting] would lead to increased time spent counting ballots, and we already have severe issues with that. It also doesn’t make much sense to be implemented in a state with such a split electorate, in my opinion,” she said.  

Smallhouse said the loss was disappointing, but reform is a key component for the PAC moving forward.  

“I will continue to do what I can to improve our electoral process so that it treats all voters and candidates equally, and creates an environment where our elected officials are rewarded for solving problems and not just carrying out ideological party agendas,” she said.