Concerns Over Signature Collection for Arizona’s Education Initiative

Teachers’ unions and their allies at Save Our Schools (SOS) have repeatedly shown their determination to oppose universal school choice in Arizona. They have fought against program expansions, sought to impose caps, and collaborated with some media figures connected to the Red for Ed teachers’ union to propagate misleading claims. Four years ago, they boldly announced they had enough signatures to repeal the program, only to find they had miscounted by over 50,000 signatures.

However, their recent attempt to overturn the program seems particularly alarming.

Earlier this month, SOS and the unions claimed they submitted over 420,000 signatures for a ballot initiative aimed at limiting universal eligibility for Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) program.

In light of their history, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club worked alongside the Goldwater Institute and other advocates for school choice to scrutinize these petitions. What we discovered was far more troubling than just another signature count issue.

Questionable Practices in Signature Gathering

While claiming their “Protect Education Act” initiative was a grassroots movement led by concerned parents and educators, the campaign’s actual strategy raises eyebrows. Rather than relying on volunteers typical of genuine grassroots efforts, they heavily depended on paid petition circulators. In fact, more than 80% of the gathered signatures came from these paid individuals, funded by the National Education Association with nearly $7 million from the D.C.-based teachers’ union.

Yet, that’s not the worst aspect. They employed numerous felons known for serious crimes — individuals who should likely not be near children.

This includes sexual predators, kidnappers, human traffickers, and even murderers.

Among those implicated in the legal challenge is Jesse Redhorse Jr., a registered sex offender in Flagstaff, who was convicted of the sexual abuse of a minor. He collected about 650 signatures for the anti-ESA initiative and was trusted to represent the campaign publicly, despite his restrictive release conditions.

Where were the background checks?

The unions and SOS have long accused ESA families and educators of dishonesty and have called for heightened government oversight and scrutiny.

They assert they are advocating for child safety.

And yet, in pushing their own agenda, they appeared comfortable placing children and families near those with serious criminal backgrounds.

This hypocrisy is striking. How can voters place faith in a ballot campaign that didn’t even conduct basic diligence on those collecting signatures for their cause?

Potential Disqualifications of Multiple Signatures

Altogether, several convicted felons gathered nearly 28,000 signatures for the Protect Education Act campaign.

However, the issues surrounding this initiative extend beyond the individuals collecting signatures. The petition drive is fraught with problems, including duplicate signatures and missing information. In total, it appears that around 218,000 signatures — more than half of what was compiled by the unions and SOS — could be disqualified. If those signatures are removed, the Protect Education Act wouldn’t meet the necessary threshold to be included on the ballot.

Consequently, the Club joined the Goldwater Institute’s legal challenge against the anti-ESA initiative.

For years, teachers’ unions and SOS have presented themselves as champions of accountability, demanding stringent regulations and oversight regarding Arizona families’ educational choices.

However, when it came to their own campaign, they once again fell short of meeting the very standards they impose on others.

Currently, over 100,000 Arizona students benefit from universal school choice, thanks to families finding educational options that suit them. These families shouldn’t have their choices compromised because a union-backed initiative failed to follow the rules and put children at risk.

Arizona voters deserve a ballot initiative grounded in reliable signatures and sound oversight, not one that seems willing to do anything to achieve political objectives.

That’s why a lawsuit was filed. Our commitment remains in defending Arizona families and school choice, ensuring that powerful interests do not strip educational freedom from parents and students.