Proposition · every Arizona voter

Proposition 319Ban traffic photo enforcement unless under contract by Dec. 31, 2026, with votes to continue

Law referred by the Legislature: Proposition 319, referred to voters by the Legislature as SCR 1004 (2026). Passes with a majority of the votes cast on it, and takes effect when the Governor proclaims the result (Arizona Constitution, Article IV, Part 1, Section 1 ). The separate 60% rule is for measures that approve a tax, which this proposal does not do.

INCOMPLETE. Still open on this page: (1) The official ballot wording below is copied word for word from the Secretary of State's ballot language, but the YES and NO lines and the summary above it are ours, from the Legislative Council analysis and the pamphlet arguments read through a summary tool, which paraphrases. (2) Passing vote and later changes are now sourced: majority of the votes cast (Arizona Constitution, Article IV, Part 1, Section 1) and the Proposition 105 notice in the 2026 Publicity Pamphlet, which says changes to a voter-approved law must further its purpose and need three-fourths of each chamber, or another vote of the people. (3) The "Today" column is our reading of the official "no" statement ("keeps the current law"), not checked against the current statutes. (4) Cost to the state: no cost estimate found. (5) The reasons for and against are the named arguments printed in the pamphlet; statistics inside them are the writers' claims and we have not checked them. No claim check has been done. (6) Campaign committees and campaign money were not looked up. (7) We did not read the full text of the measure.

Official ballot language (PDF): Secretary of State ballot language (PDF)

In plain words

This changes section 28-1201 of Arizona law and adds section 28-1207. A "photo enforcement system" is a camera system that finds drivers who break traffic laws, such as speeding or running a red light. State agencies and local governments could not use one unless they have a contract to operate it as of December 31, 2026. A local government with such a contract would have to ask voters at the next general election whether to keep it. If voters say no, the system must stop within 90 days after the election. If voters say yes, it can run for 10 years, and then voters must approve again for each new 10 years. (azleg.gov (Arizona Legislature) )

Before and after

Question	Today (our reading of the official NO statement)	If YES wins
New photo enforcement systems	Current laws stay	Not allowed unless under contract as of December 31, 2026
Systems already under contract	Current laws stay	The local government must win a voter approval at the next general election
If voters say no	Not applicable	The system must stop within 90 days after the election
If voters say yes	Not applicable	It can run 10 years; voters decide again for each 10 years after

From the ballot language, the Legislative Council analysis and the pamphlet: see (azleg.gov (Arizona Legislature) )

Biggest change

State agencies and local governments could not use photo enforcement for traffic unless they have a contract in place by December 31, 2026. source: azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Local governments with a contract would need voter approval at the next general election, and again every 10 years, to keep a system running. source: azleg.gov (Arizona Legislature)

Who it affects most: Drivers in cities and towns that use traffic cameras, and the cities and companies that run them.

Cost to the state: Unknown. The Legislative Council analysis text we read has no fiscal section. Camera programs bring in fine money for some cities; we did not look up amounts.

Our plain-words summary. Every line points to its source.

What your vote means

YES

State agencies and local governments could not use photo enforcement for traffic unless they have a contract by December 31, 2026, and local governments would need voter approval at the next general election and every 10 years after.

Nothing changes: current laws on photo enforcement stay.

Our one-line summary of the official YES and NO statements in the Secretary of State's ballot language; the official statements, word for word, are under "Official ballot wording" below.

Why people want it, and why others object

Why this is on the ballot

The Legislature put this on the ballot.

The bill is Senate Concurrent Resolution 1004 (2026). It amends section 28-1201 and adds section 28-1207 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. source: azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
The pamphlet's Proposition 105 notice says changes to a voter-approved law must further its purpose and need three-fourths of each chamber, or another vote of the people. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

Why supporters want it

Kristin Baumgartner: photo cameras are unauthorized surveillance that violates privacy under the Arizona and U.S. Constitutions and exposes data to third parties; she proposes voter approval for existing systems and re-approval every ten years. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Emerson Jones: the private, for-profit cameras are an attack on driver rights and should be banned. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Mark Lewis: private camera systems strip drivers of due process and turn roads into revenue sources; voters should control local policing. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

Why opponents object

Will Humble, Arizona Public Health Association: the measure bans red-light cameras, not just speed cameras; he cites Phoenix data showing a 31% drop in red-light crashes at camera intersections (his figure). source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Germaine Calimlim, Institute of Transportation Engineers Arizona Section: over 1,100 traffic deaths in Arizona in 2024, including 37 children under 14; cities that ended camera programs saw crashes rise; localities should choose their own tools (her figures). source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Michelle Donati, AAA Arizona: the measure permanently bans cameras in cities with no program running by year's end; she cites a 21% drop in fatal red-light crashes from a national insurance-industry study (her figure). source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Michael Grandy, traffic engineer: Arizona traffic deaths have risen 70% since 2010 (his figure), and the ballot text wrongly suggests no trained officer reviews camera evidence. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Timothy Everhard, Arizonans for Freedom: cameras are a cost-effective substitute for officers, who cannot be everywhere. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

Who backs each side

For: three individual writers (Emerson Jones, Mark Lewis, Kristin Baumgartner). Campaign committees and campaign money for this proposition were not looked up (INCOMPLETE). source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Against: Arizona Public Health Association, Institute of Transportation Engineers Arizona Section, AAA Arizona, Civic Engagement Beyond Voting and Arizonans for Freedom, among six arguments. Campaign committees and campaign money for this proposition were not looked up (INCOMPLETE). source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

In each side's own words where we could find them, quoted or summarized with a link to the source. We don't endorse either side.

What you will see on your ballot

Official ballot wording, word for word (tap to open)

The official ballot title, word for word from the Secretary of State's ballot language file .

REFERRED TO THE PEOPLE BY THE LEGISLATURE RELATING TO PHOTO ENFORCEMENT SYSTEMS
OFFICIAL TITLE
AMENDING SECTION 28-1201, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES; AMENDING TITLE 28, CHAPTER 3, ARTICLE 21, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 28-1207.
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
PROHIBITS STATE AGENCIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FROM USING PHOTO ENFORCEMENT SYSTEMS FOR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNLESS PROVIDED BY CONTRACT AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2026; REQUIRES LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO OBTAIN VOTER APPROVAL TO CONTINUE THEIR USE.

A “yes” vote shall have the effect of: (1) prohibiting state agencies and local governments from using photo enforcement systems to identify violators of traffic laws unless the agency or government contracts to use those systems by December 31, 2026; and (2) requiring local governments to obtain voter approval of existing photo enforcement systems at the next regular general election and every 10 years afterward to continue using photo enforcement systems.
A “no” vote shall have the effect of maintaining the current laws governing photo enforcement systems.

Copied word for word from the Secretary of State's ballot language PDF (2026-Ballot-Language-English-2026-0819.pdf), page 7. The Secretary of State's file has no separate question line; it prints the official title, the descriptive title, and a YES statement and a NO statement, shown here in that order. The section number 28-1207 breaks across two lines in the PDF (hyphen at the line end); it is shown joined.

Latest news

Recent reporting from a range of outlets, newest first. We link to it; we don't endorse it.

No articles collected yet for this measure.

Full text of the measure

The Secretary of State's ballot language file prints the descriptive title and the YES and NO statements. The full text of the resolution is on the Legislature's website (azleg.gov, SCR 1004, 2026 session); we have not read it. Read it in the Secretary of State ballot language (PDF) .

We link to analysis from several sources; we don't endorse it.