While the outcome was not what we hoped, we wanted to share our reflections on the challenges we faced and the lessons learned that will guide our path forward.

 

1. Doing Hard Things

This was never an easy thing to do. To challenge both major political parties and an electorate that is so tribally divided is a significant undertaking. The list of our opponents were a testament to the entrenched political divisions which currently govern our Country. 

 

Reflecting on JFK’s famous “moonshot” speech, we took on this challenge not because it was easy:

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.” 

 

It took the U.S. 8 years from the time of that speech to put a man on the moon.  Doing hard things takes time.

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2. Competing Initiative
The Legislature sponsored a competing initiative, Prop 133 to intentionally confuse voters, and it worked.  We must anticipate that they will do that again but that is our reality. That being said, over 1.3 million voters opposed Proposition 133, rejecting the Legislature’s attempt to cement partisan primaries in our state constitution. These outcomes signal a widespread desire for a more representative and forward-looking election system in Arizona.

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3. Litigation 
From the outset, we were entangled in a series of legal battles, taking us all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court—twice. This delayed our campaign's public outreach and diverted resources away from framing our message. During this time, our opponents labeled Prop 140 as a “confusing, out-of-state effort” to “California Arizona,” which muddled our message and diverted critical funds toward legal defense. Our legal team did an outstanding job, but courtrooms are not the ideal place to wage a public campaign.

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4. Framing
For a campaign like ours to succeed in today’s hyper-partisan environment, our message needs to rise above politics and speak to core American values that resonates with all voters.  

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The Make Elections Fair effort did that at the outset but not deeply enough with voters to survive the inevitable mud fest which our opponents threw at us. By the time the calvary came over the hill, the enemy was inside our razor wire and wreaking havoc with our public perception.

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5. Complexity of the Initiative
Our team would like to discuss this at length with our supporters. A simpler framework – advocating for a top-two general election and fair treatment of independent candidates and voters – would have resonated more. Please reach out with ideas and thoughts to improve on for future efforts.

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The committee extends our gratitude to our generous donors who empowered our campaign on our strenuous journey to get the initiative on the ballot and withstand multiple lawsuits from the opposition.

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We also owe immense thanks to our dedicated and spirited volunteers who gave us countless hours of their time to get Prop 140 on the ballot. The voices behind every op-ed, every rally cry, and every cheer were vital to this victory. 

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Thank you to our many local advocates, and our national partners who helped bring a spotlight to our state and created a far-reaching echo chamber of support for Prop 140. 

 

“Though the results were not as we hoped, Arizona will continue to move forward. We will regroup and work toward a stronger, more representative democracy in the years to come,” Paul Johnson campaign co-chair.

 

This was a battle well fought, and we’re proud of the dedication and resilience our team demonstrated. We’ve listened to voters, and we’re determined to refine our approach, returning with a proposal that resonates with Arizonans even more strongly. Please stay in touch and let us know if you'd like to be part of our future efforts.