Teachers unions in Arizona have failed to get enough signatures to get the misleading "Protect Education Act" initiative on the ballot. This is a win for parents and children in the state.
BREAKING: Teachers unions FAILED to submit enough valid signatures to roll back school choice in Arizona.
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) August 17, 2026
They needed 255,949 signatures and fell short by about 10,000.
They spent nearly $7 million to attack school choice and still failed.
Arizona families win again.
The unions will be about 10,000 signatures short.
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club released a statement following the news, calling it a "major victory" for Arizona parents, Arizona students, and Arizona elections.
"The initiative is projected to be more than 10,000 signatures short of the 255,949 valid signatures required to qualify for the ballot." pic.twitter.com/0IMkgp3FMZ
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) August 17, 2026
That statement reads:
Based on the trial court’s ruling and the signature validity rates reported by Arizona’s county recorders, the union-backed anti-ESA measure that calls itself the “Protect Education Accountability Now Act” does not have enough valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
The Goldwater Institute has led the legal challenge to the petitions submitted by the campaign and after applying the court’s rulings on challenged signatures and the final validity rates from Arizona’s counties, including Maricopa County, the initiative is projected to be more than 10,000 signatures short of the 255,949 valid signatures required to qualify for the ballot.
“This is a major victory for Arizona parents, students, and the integrity of our elections,” said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “This anti-school choice initiative and its union backers spent more than $7 million dollars trying to dismantle school choice in our state, but they still could not collect enough lawful, valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.”
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club worked alongside the Goldwater Institute and other school choice advocates to review the petitions and challenge signatures that did not comply with Arizona law as well as dozens of parents who led “decline to sign” efforts and capturing evidence of the campaign’s circulators lying and misinforming voters about the implications of the measure.
As a result of that challenge, nearly 70,000 signatures were disqualified, including thousands of duplicate signatures and signatures collected by circulators with serious, disqualifying criminal histories, including individuals convicted of violent felonies and sexual offenses involving minors.
“The people behind this initiative have spent years lecturing Arizona parents about accountability, oversight, fraud, and abuse,” Mussi said. “Yet their own paid petition operation was riddled with duplicate signatures and relied on legally ineligible circulators with disturbing criminal records. Arizona’s election laws exist for a reason, and those rules apply to everyone.”
Mussi continued: “Arizona voters should not have their ballot manipulated by an organization that failed to collect enough valid signatures under the rules. We will continue defending school choice, protecting parents, and ensuring Arizona’s election laws are faithfully enforced. Our organization applauds the court for holding the committee to the process and accountable to the law.”
This is wonderful news.
Good. I declined signing after high pressure from a random signature gatherer in the Sprouts parking lot several times. The left needs to learn how to take no for an answer.
— Jonathan O’Brien (@jobrienaz) August 18, 2026
They will not take no for an answer.
WINNING!!!!!!
— Populo Iratus (@astronomy89) August 18, 2026
Several times I was hit up to sign their petition and I vocally refused and told them they were only interested in money for teacher unions, and not in educating children.
This is true. They want our money and to indoctrinate our children, not teach them.
Huge win for Arizona families!
— Tucson Tomorrow (@TucsonTomorrow) August 18, 2026
Parents can continue to choose to put their kids into schools that aren’t failing to properly educate their students, or do not provide the special education programs their kids need!
Huge huge huge win! https://t.co/rYC3SNjoBu
If public schools and teachers unions provided a product parents wanted, parents would send their kids there.
The unions spent a lot of money only to fail.
Huge win for freedom and families in the state of Arizona.
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) August 18, 2026
Left wing groups spent almost $7 million to attack school choice but still came up around 10,000 signatures short.
When families get a taste of freedom then they want to keep it. https://t.co/4LVpO8RREN pic.twitter.com/gxev9ETqRY
But the Left hates school choice, and they won't be deterred by this loss. They will keep trying to ban school choice, then they will move to outlaw private schools and homeschooling altogether.
Parents and conservatives need to keep fighting to protect school choice.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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