PHOENIX — As state lawmakers prepare for the 2026 legislative session, new polling released today by the Arizona Education Association shows that voters back reforms to the state’s voucher program by more than a 2-1 margin, with overwhelming majorities supporting basic accountability, safety, and transparency reforms to protect students and taxpayer funds.
“Eight years ago, Arizona voters rejected universal voucher expansion by a 30-point margin — only to watch lawmakers override our votes and force voucher expansion into law. Today, this new polling shows that Arizonans are fed up with the program’s scandals and eager to see real voucher reform,” said Marisol Garcia, President of the Arizona Education Association. “As lawmakers grapple with a tough financial forecast for 2026, reining in out-of-control voucher spending should be their priority. Our state has spent nearly $3 billion in taxpayer money on an unaccountable, fraud-ridden program that primarily subsidizes luxuries for the state’s wealthiest families instead of helping children with the greatest need. If lawmakers fail to pass meaningful voucher reform this session, they should not be surprised if voters take matters into their own hands.”
Among poll respondents:
- 86% support changes that would require staff at qualified private schools to have a valid fingerprint clearance card.
- 81% support changes that would require qualified private schools to disclose total ESA funds received and the number of ESA students served.
- 77% support changes that would require qualified private schools to be accredited or administer a nationally-recognized assessment.
- 73% support changes that would restrict the use of ESA dollars to qualified educational expenses, including prohibiting luxury items.
- 67% believe that ESA vouchers should only be available to families below a certain income threshold.
- Overall, 67% say they would vote yes on a suite of policies to strengthen oversight of the ESA voucher program. This support extends across partisanship, race, parental status, and geography.
The full polling memo can be found here.
Polling was conducted between November 5 - 9, 2025, reaching respondents through landlines, cell phones, and text-to-web. Results carry a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence interval. The polling was conducted by GBAO Strategies for the Arizona Education Association.