• Slug: Proposition 122,205

By LINXIAO LI
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Proposition 122, which calls for Arizona to deny use of its money and personnel for federal laws and rules the state deems unconstitutional, remained too close to call Tuesday night.

With many early and provisional ballots left to be counted after Election Day, measure was passing by only a slim margin.

The Legislature referred the measure to the ballot based on a resolution authored by state Sen. Chester Crandell, R-Heber, who died in an August horse-riding accident.

Yes On 122, the main group supporting the measure, had raised $275,600 through Sept. 15, $257,000 of it from Jack Biltis, a Cave Creek resident and CEO and founder of TAG Employer Services, a provider of payroll and human resources services for businesses.

Supporters argued that many laws and edicts from Washington interfere with the individual rights of Arizonans.

The Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, which opposed to Proposition 122, argued that the Legislature doesn’t get to decide if a federal law is constitutional or not, adding that passing the measure would subject Arizona to a lot of unnecessary lawsuits.

It’s the second straight election with a proposition aimed at state sovereignty. In 2012, voters soundly rejected a resolution that would have asserted Arizona’s control over its natural resources.