Equal Marriage Arizona yesterday filed the paperwork to begin raising the petition signatures required to place same-sex marriage on the 2014 ballot.
The initiative also includes a clause stating that religious organizations or individuals cannot be required to officiate at a marriage if they have religious objections. The filing Monday allows the group to begin collecting the required 259,213 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot. The deadline is July 3, 2014. Phoenix Libertarian businessman Warren Meyer and retired Tucson attorney Erin Ogletree Simpson, chairwoman of the Arizona Log Cabin Republicans, filed the paperwork. They hope to add a Democratic co-chair soon. “This isn’t about politics,” Meyer said. “This is about individual liberty.” The initiative was filed in anticipation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage expected this month.
Fundraising is already underway. (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)