Initiative to fund attorneys for migrants in Pima County misses signature goal
Pima County Justice For All measure won't go to local voters
Posted Jul 3, 2024, 3:53 pm
Paul Ingram
A local initiative to help migrants in Pima County receive help from public defenders during immigration court proceedings again failed to gather enough signatures to appear on November's ballot.
The group backing the measure, Pima County Justice For All—or Justicia Para Todos, gathered around 50,000 signatures after an 18-month effort, said Margo Cowan, an immigration attorney and one of the organizers. However, this fell far short of the 72,419 signatures needed to make the ballot this fall, or 15 percent of the number of votes for governor within the county in the last election, according to county officials.
The group made a similar effort in 2022, also missing the required number of signatures. Veteran initiative organizers generally aim for a cushion of at least 20 percent more signatures than the minimum, as every petition effort has signers who are not eligible and have their signatures disqualified when reviewed.
https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/070324_pima_justice_campaign/initiative-fund-attorneys-migrants-pima-county-misses-signature-goal/
