In a clear boost for Democrats, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’s office on Monday announced that they had certified signatures on the petition for a ballot measure adding a right to abortion to the state constitution for the November ballot, the Arizona Mirror reports.
Canvassers had collected around 578,000 valid signatures, significantly more than the nearly 384,000 it needed to qualify for the ballot. It’s still not a done deal however as Republicans are mounting a challenge to the wording of the measure as presented to petition signers. Though a Maricopa County judge tossed a complaint by forced-birther organization Right to Life last week, the group immediately appealed to the state Supreme Court – the same bench that in April voted 4-2 to reinstate the draconian 1864 law completely banning any reproductive health procedures, prompting frenzied lobbying efforts by convicted felon former President Trump and Nazi psychopath Kari Lake to get the state legislature to reverse it, which they did – so we’ll see how it goes.
The Arizona Supremes need to rule by the August 22nd ballot printing deadline.