Arizona voters on Tuesday, Nov. 3, will decide whether to ban new speed and red-light cameras statewide under Proposition 319.

The measure would bar state agencies and local governments from installing photo enforcement systems to ticket drivers after Dec. 31, 2026, according to KOLD. Cities that already have cameras under contract by that date could temporarily keep them but would need voter approval at the next general election. If voters approve, the authorization lasts 10 years before another vote is required. If voters reject the cameras, the city would have 90 days to remove them.

Oro Valley does not use red-light cameras or photo radar. A 2014 Tucson Local Media report noted that Oro Valley, Marana and Pima County had chosen not to install red-light cameras, relying instead on police patrols. If Prop 319 passes, the town could never add photo enforcement cameras in the future.

The measure does not apply to automated license plate reader cameras, such as Flock Safety systems, KOLD reported. The Oro Valley Police Department uses Flock cameras, according to data obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Those systems would remain unaffected.

Who supports it

State Sen. Wendy Rogers, a Republican, introduced the resolution that placed Prop 319 on the ballot through Senate Concurrent Resolution 1004, KTAR reported. The resolution received overwhelming support from Republican lawmakers and a handful of Democratic votes.

Rogers told KTAR News that cities want to preserve photo enforcement to keep fine revenue flowing. "Absolutely, it is a cash cow. They can serve these tickets without a human being," she said.

The Goldwater Institute called automated photo enforcement "taxation by citation," according to KOLD. Scott Day Freeman, senior counsel at the Goldwater Institute, said municipalities should look at road design, intersection layout and signage before turning to citations.

Supporters also argue the cameras amount to surveillance and that voters should decide whether their communities use them, according to AZ Luminaria.

Who opposes it

Michelle Donati, director of government affairs for AAA Arizona, wrote in ballot arguments that the proposition strips local communities of the ability to protect road users, AZ Luminaria reported. AAA Arizona cited an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finding that red-light cameras reduce fatal red-light crashes by 21%, according to KOLD.

Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, opposes the measure because it lumps speed cameras and red-light cameras together, according to KTAR. While Humble said there is a fair debate about speed cameras, he said red-light cameras prevent violent crashes.

"The problem with Prop 319, for cities that don't have photo enforcement now, they can never have it in the future … no matter how dangerous their intersections get," Humble told KTAR.

Opponents also call the measure state overreach on a local issue. Organizations that submitted arguments against include AAA Arizona, the Arizona Public Health Association, the Institute of Transportation Engineers Arizona Section and Civic Engagement Beyond Voting, according to AZ Luminaria.

What a yes or no vote means

A "yes" vote bans new photo enforcement systems and requires voter approval for existing ones. A "no" vote keeps current state law in place. If approved, the Legislature could change the measure later only with a three-fourths vote in each chamber, AZ Luminaria reported.

Pima County vote centers opened Tuesday, Nov. 3, for in-person voting.