Town of Marana Completes Review of Data Center Referendum Petitions

Published on February 18, 2026

Marana, AZ – On Wednesday, February 4, the Town Clerk issued initial receipts for two referendum petitions relating to a proposed data center project. The referendums were submitted by a representative of Arizonans for Responsible Development and sponsored by Worker Power. Each petition contained an initial estimated count of approximately 2,800 signatures. Two separate petitions were filed because the proposed data center project involves two distinct properties.

Upon receipt of the petitions, the Town of Marana began the administrative review process required by law (see statute). The Town Clerk had 20 business days from February 4 to determine whether the petitions met statutory requirements.

On Tuesday, February 17, a representative for Arizonans for Responsible Development submitted a written request asking that the referendum petitions be withdrawn, stating it “no longer supports placing these measures on the ballot.” Additionally, they cited the failure to comply with state statute concerning the circulation of the petitions. Click here to view the request.(PDF, 192KB)

The Town does not have statutory authority to withdraw referendum petitions once they have been filed. Once referendum petitions are filed, the Town Clerk is legally obligated to complete the administrative review process required by state law.

Following completion of that review, the Town Clerk determined that the petitions do not meet the requirements set forth in Arizona law. Specifically, the filed petitions did not include the legal description of the involved properties required for zoning ordinances.

Because these statutory requirements were not satisfied, the submitted signatures are not eligible for further verification.

The Town does not have discretion to waive or overlook statutory requirements governing referendum petitions. The review conducted by the Town Clerk is an administrative process dictated by Arizona law. This determination was based solely on compliance with statutory requirements and was not influenced by the request to withdraw the petitions.

The Town of Marana remains committed to transparency and to administering all referendum and election processes in accordance with state law.