What Happened?

Supporters of the Protect Education Act submitted more than 420,000 petition signatures, significantly more than the 255,949 valid signatures required.

But submitting signatures and submitting valid signatures are two very different things.

Legal challenges questioned tens of thousands of signatures, while Arizona’s county recorders conducted their own verification process. The case ultimately reached the Arizona Supreme Court, which clarified how invalid and duplicate signatures must be treated.

When the numbers were applied under the Court’s ruling, the initiative fell short of the legal requirement.

That means Prop. 212 is off the November ballot.

A Team Effort to Protect School Choice

This victory didn’t happen on its own.

Our Arizona House Republican leadership stood firmly with parents and defended the ESA program throughout this fight. Understanding that this is not going to go away easily, we are facing the need to ensure the program’s longevity for decades to come. The only way to do this is by taking steps to make it harder for attempted abuse and maintaining high standards in accountability.

The Goldwater Institute fought the initiative through the legal process and challenged signatures it argued did not comply with Arizona law. They, too, understood that protections are necessary for school choice to survive and children can thrive in Arizona.

The American Federation for Children (AFC) invested significant time and resources into protecting Arizona’s ESA families and keeping educational freedom at the forefront of this fight. They did this by blocking the anti-school choice signature gatherers with their own counter initiative.

And the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) repeatedly sounded the alarm about what was at stake and advocated for a path that would protect school choice before families were forced to gamble on a November election. They warned before signatures were submitted that relying on signature verification was “not a comfortable position to be in.”

There were different strategies along the way, but the goal remained the same: protect Arizona families and preserve educational freedom.

We Won … But We Also Got Lucky

This is the part I don’t want us to forget.

We got lucky this time.

More than 420,000 signatures were submitted. For weeks, the future of one of America’s strongest school-choice programs depended on lawyers, signature challenges, county verification rates, and ultimately a decision from the Arizona Supreme Court.

That’s far too close for comfort.

We cannot repeatedly take a gamble this serious with our children’s education and simply hope everything works out in the end.

This is the second election cycle that they come attacking school choice. We know that if we don't act in a solid and permanent manner, they will come back stronger, more organized and with more money.

Our next responsibility is to look beyond this victory and work strategically toward long-term protections for school choice in Arizona. We need policies that strengthen the ESA program, preserve parental freedom, address legitimate concerns responsibly, and make it increasingly difficult for opponents to dismantle educational choice every election cycle.

Arizona families deserve that certainty.

The Fight Continues

This week’s decision is worth celebrating. Parents won. Students won. Educational freedom won.

But those who oppose school choice aren’t going away… and neither are we.

As Majority Leader, I will continue working with my Republican colleagues and school-choice advocates to protect Arizona’s position as a national leader in educational freedom.

This time, we won the fight. Next time, our goal should be to make sure Arizona families aren’t forced into the fight in the first place.

HELP KEEP ARIZONA STATE HOUSE RED

Thank you for allowing me to continue fighting for Arizona’s children, parents, and their freedom to choose the education that works best for them. Sincerely, Michael Carbone​ Majority Leader Arizona House of Representatives