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Arizona Secretaries of StateElevated to Governors Off ice

Wesley Bolin (1977) Bruce Babbitt* (1978) Rose Mofford (1988) Jane Dee Hull (1997) Janice Brewer (2009)*Attorney General, who is third in succession order

Understanding Arizonas Propositions: Prop 111By Krist in BornsSenior Policy Analyst

Morrison Institute for Public Policy

Proposition 111 Arizonas Lieutenant Governor iProposition 111 would establish the office of lieutenant governor beginning in 2015 by asking voters

to rename the office of secretary of state to lieutenant governor and have this new position assume

all the duties currently performed by the secretary of state. This includes not only serving as the

states election official, but also serving as the first in line to step into the governors office in the

event of death or resignation. This proposition was referred to voters by the Legislature.

The proposition also requires candidates for lieutenant governor and governor to run separately

during the primary, as the secretary of state and governor do now. However, successful primary

candidates for both offices will be joined on a single-party ticket, with one vote filling both positions.

Arizonans have voted on a lieutenant governor before. In 1994, Proposition 100 sought to establish

the office of lieutenant governor separate from the secretary of state. Proposition 100 differed in

notable ways from this years Proposition 111. There were no defined duties for the office, and the

proposition would have required the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor to run as a

joint ticket in both the primary and the general election. The proposition went down in defeat, with

65% of voters rejecting it.ii

Yes on Prop 111? Arizona is only one of five states without a lieutenant governor. iii Our state has seen four governors

leave office before the end of their elected term since

1977 due to death, impeachment, forced resignation

following indictment or resignation for advancement.

This years ballot measure emerged from a process

established by the OConnor House, where community

leaders, legislators and interested parties came together

to look at government for Arizonas second century. This

measure, along with Proposition 112, which seeks to

change the deadline for filing initiative petitions,

received bipartisan support in the Legislature.

No Arizona governor has completed two full terms since 1987. In two of those transitions the

replacement governor was of the same party as the predecessor. However, in two memorable

transitions following Governor Evan Mechams impeachment and Governor Janet Napolitanos

confirmation as Secretary of Homeland Security the governors office switched parties when the

secretary of state was sworn into the executive role.

Continuity and transparency are two of the primary reasons Proposition 111 advocates cite in

support of the measure. Voters may not realize the secretary of state is the first in line for

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succession. Or, if they are aware, still treat the two positions as completely separate and unrelated,

and do not vote for candidates with consideration to continuity of executive leadership.

When the secretary of state is from a different party than an elected governor, voters can feel the

platform they supported when electing a governor is ignored. Further, the transition itself for a

secretary of state can be unwieldy if he or she has not been a part of the executive office.

A lieutenant governor serving as the second in succession could address such concerns the belief

being that voters will consider the individual first in line to ascend to the governors office based on

that candidates qualifications to possibly become governor. Current Governor Jan Brewer, who

replaced Napolitano mid-term, previously supported changing the name of the secretary of states

office to lieutenant governor in order to make the line of succession clear to voters. iv She has

submitted a statement in support of Proposition 111 in this years publicity pamphlet.v

Proponents also point out that the qualities that would propel a successful candidate solely to the

secretary of states office do not necessarily translate to the skills required to assume leadership as

the states top executive.

About half of U.S. states elect the lieutenant governor and governor as a team. However, how thoseindividuals become part of the single ticket can vary by state. For example, Alaska elects both

positions in separate primaries and then joins them in a single ticket, mirroring Proposition 111. In

18 other states, the two run separately, which could result in the lieutenant governor and governor

coming from different partiesvi, which fails to address concerns about continuity of leadership.

Many states do not prescribe specific duties for the lieutenant governor position. However,

Proposition 111 would differ in this way, assigning the specific constitutional duties now performed

by the secretary of state including elections to the new position of lieutenant governor.

No on Prop 111?For those states that do not assign specific duties to the lieutenant governor, the executive has the

ability to assign duties as needed and most effectively integrate the lieutenant governor into theoverall administration. An Arizona lieutenant governor would not have that flexibility. While a

governor may opt to have a lieutenant governor more engaged in day-to-day issues, the lower office

still would have a full slate of established constitution responsibilities.

Additionally, some of the benefits of a lieutenant governor discussed by advocates, such as

expanding the lieutenant governors knowledge of the executive branch and providing a lieutenant

governor with a broader statewide perspective, are a maybe at best, based on how Proposition

111 is worded. By requiring the lieutenant governor to assume all the responsibilities of the

secretary of state, it is not a given the lieutenant governor would have expanded experience and

understanding within the governors office.

Proposition 111 proposes the lieutenant governor be elected with the governor, and also serve as

the states chief election officer. This setup is similar to Hawaii and Utah. However, critics of the

proposition raise concerns that having a member of the executive office, who has a vested interest in

one candidates success, is a concern for ensuring independent elections.vii

Another concern of special note in Arizona is how potentially viable independent candidates would

be successful in running for executive office under this same-party structure. Currently, more than

940,000 of Arizonas 3 million registered voters are registered as independents.viii Arizona requires

independent voters to identify themselves as Party Not Designated when registering. As a result, it

appears that an independent candidate for either lieutenant governor or governor may not be able to

join a linked ticket for election, as they are not part of a recognized party. This is a gray area of

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question and it is unclear if and how this issue would constitutionally be addressed. But opponents

of Proposition 111 worry Arizonas new election structure could result in alienating nearly one-third

of registered voters.

The Bottom LineA yes vote would amend the Arizona Constitution and rename the office of secretary of state to that

of lieutenant governor, beginning in 2015. The lieutenant governor would perform all the dutiescurrently assigned to the secretary of state and would run as an individual in the primary election,

but be joined in a single ticket with the same party candidate for governor in the general election.

i Senate Concurrent Resolution 1013. Located at www.azleg.gov. Also, Legislative Council Analysis of SCR

1013.ii Secretary of States Office.iii Data from research completed by Dr. James Svara, Professor; Director, Center for Urban Innovation, Arizona

State University. In Tennessee and West Virginia, the Speaker of the House holds the title of Lt. Governor, but

is elected as the Speaker.iv http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1204cns-lieutenant1204-ON.htmlv Secretary of States Office.

vi Data from research completed by Dr. James Svara, Professor; Director, Center for Urban Innovation, ArizonaState University.viiIbid.viii Secretary of States Office.

August2010/MorrisonInstituteforPublicPolicyisaleaderinexaminingcriticalArizonaandregionalissues,

andisacatalystforpublicdialogue.AnArizonaStateUniversityresource,MorrisonInstituteusesnonpartisan

researchandcommunicationoutreachtohelpimprovethestatesqualityoflife.