A vote here sign outside of a polling place in Tucson. November 2020.
The Arizona House of Representatives voted Tuesday to raise the bar for voters to pass initiatives at the ballot box.
House Concurrent Resolution 2015 would change the percent of the vote needed to pass an initiative from a simple majority to 60%.
Backers argue supermajorities are warranted for ballot measures because it is difficult for the Legislature to later change laws passed by the voters.
"I think this is a method of respecting both a republic and a democracy and keeping some kind of check on each other," said House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa.
But the measure comes after voters have used the ballot box to legalize marijuana, raise the minimum wage and pass other laws that would not have passed at the state Capitol.
And House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, argued lawmakers simply want to make it harder for the voters to make laws themselves.
Bolding proposed an amendment to require that lawmakers also get 60% of the vote to win their seats. But the House shot down that idea.
"It is extremely — I would say arrogant of us as a chamber to say we should have one set of rules while the voters should not," he said.
The resolution passed on a party line vote of 31-28.
Voters will have the final say, though. If approved by the Senate, the proposal will be put to a statewide vote.
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