The race for the White House is drawing most of the attention this year, but it's down-ballot measures where voters will make the most impact.

Why it matters: Direct democracy is hot — particularly in an era where partisan gridlock thwarts the lawmaking process.

• Moreover, ballot measures on abortion rights, voting methods, legalizing marijuana and educational choice hold the potential for major policy shifts nationwide.

By the numbers: This year, voters in 41 states are considering 159 ballot measures with most appearing at stake Nov. 5, according to Ballotpedia, a tracking service.

• The vast majority were referred to voters by state lawmakers and commissions.
• Arizona has so many ballot measures that Maricopa County's ballots are two separate pages for the first time since 2006.

Zoom in: In Arizona, where the legislative and executive branches are controlled by different parties, ballot measures allow the Republican-controlled Legislature to sidestep Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and go straight to the voters.

• Of the 13 statewide measures on the ballot in Arizona this year, 11 were referred by the Legislature, including proposals to crack down on border security and illegal immigration, restricting gubernatorial emergency powers and reducing the minimum wage for tipped workers.
• Most are proposed amendments to the Arizona Constitution, which can only be approved by voters.
• Two propositions on hot-button issues were referred to the ballot via the citizen initiative process — protecting abortion rights and creating nonpartisan, open primary elections.

What they're saying: The presidential election is a prime time for ballot measures because of the high turnout, said Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, a progressive group.

• Other factors include partisan blockages at the state level, political parties trying to turn out issue-driven voters and the Dobbs decision, which has led to a record number of abortion-related referendums.

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A super PAC linked to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.) has not reserved a single dollar to help Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake in the final weeks of the campaign.

Why it matters: Senate Republicans appear to be abandoning Arizona in favor of toss-ups in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

• Last week, Senate Leadership Fund booked $42 million in new ad spending through Election Day to support Senate candidates in Blue Wall states. 
• It also made a last-minute $6.2 million ad buy in Nevada, where GOP candidate Sam Brown is trailing incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen in all the public polls.

President Biden traveled to the Gila River Indian Community on Friday to formally apologize for the role the U.S. government had in abuses committed at Indian boarding schools that Native American children were forced to attend in the 1800s and 1900s.

Why it matters: Native American children nationwide were forcibly removed from their homes and suffered whippings, sexual abuse and severe malnourishment and were forced to perform manual labor across 408 boarding schools from 1819 to 1969 as part of the U.S. government's campaign to compel their assimilation.

The big picture: The federal government funded 47 Indian boarding schools in Arizona, the most of any state except Oklahoma, according to the Department of the Interior.

Zoom in: The Phoenix Indian School was Arizona's only boarding school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs outside of a reservation, according to the Arizona Memory Project.

• In the school's earliest days, children were subject to military-style instruction, could not speak their Native languages, and were forced to wear American-style uniforms and cut their hair to match American norms.
• "It's cheaper to educate Indians than to kill them," Indian commissioner Thomas Morgan said at the establishment of the school in 1891.

The bottom line: "Federal Indian boarding school policy, the pain it has caused, will always be a significant mark of shame, a blot on American history," Biden said Friday.

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🏈 The Arizona Cardinals got back-to-back wins for the first time since 2021 with a 28-27 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. (Arizona Sports)

🏀 The Phoenix Suns won their home opener despite missing Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen, beating the Dallas Mavericks 114-102. (ESPN)

🗳 The Valley will host campaign rallies for Vice President Harris, running mate Tim Walz and former President Trump on Thursday. (ABC15) 

🏫 A federal judge will bar Maricopa County from declaring winners in the race for two Phoenix Union High School District board at-large seats due to a ballot error. (AZcentral)

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A long-vacant corner at a major intersection in north Phoenix is finally being developed, with a local car wash chain planning to open a new location. 

State of play: The northeast corner of Thunderbird Road and 35th Avenue will become home to a Francis & Sons Car Wash. 

• Work began recently and Jeff Francis, the company's general manager, said the location will likely be completed by the end of April 2025. 
• Francis & Sons has 14 locations in the Valley, with five more, including the 35th and Thunderbird spot, coming soon, according to the company's website. 

Our thought bubble: I can't say with certainty that there's never been anything at that corner, but my family moved to the neighborhood in 1987 and I can't recall there ever being an active business there.

• With that in mind, it's nice to see someone finally filling out that vacant space.

What to watch: When they have their grand opening next year, check in for free car washes.

🗣 You tell us: Is there a construction site or vacant lot in your area you've been wondering about?

• Let us know where it is and we'll check it out for a future edition of "What are they building?"

Visit the car wash