Immigration ballot measures defeated in Arizona, Florida

Voters in two US states with large immigrant populations on Tuesday defeated ballot measures dealing with illegal immigrants, according to unofficial results. In Arizona, an initiative would have revoked the business licenses of employers that knowingly hire illegal immigrants and would have strengthened penalties for identity theft. As of 3 PM EST Wednesday, the unofficial results [text] for Proposition 202 (with more than 99 percent of polls reporting) were:

Yes – 726,101 – 40.9 percent
No – 1,049,122 – 59.1 percent

In Florida, a legislative referendum would have amended that state's constitution by deleting a provision allowing lawmakers to regulate or prohibit the ownership of real property by illegal immigrants. The Florida Legislature had never exercised its authority under that provision, which is considered obsolete. [MORE]