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PHOENIX — State lawmakers are slowly moving to put a series of controversial — and potentially ethnically divisive — measures on the November ballot.

The latest effort got a boost this week when the House of Representatives voted 34-22 to ask voters to once again declare English the state's official language. That vote came despite protests from foes who said the proposed constitutional amendment reflected everything from an anti-immigrant attitude to the fear of the currently Anglo majority of the demographic changes occurring in Arizona.

And Rep. David Bradley, D-Tucson, even compared this move to promote what he described as "purity of language" to the conditions that led to the eventual rise of Hitler more than 60 years ago in Germany — and to the racial, religious and ethnic persecution by the Nazi regime.

But this proposal is not alone.

The House already has approved another measure designed to combat the illegal flow of people across the international border by asking voters to impose new penalties against the companies that hire them, with the idea of drying up the jobs that attract entrants.

And to be sure that they don't get here in the first place, another proposal, also being pushed for the November ballot, would impose a tax on international transfers of money to build a wall along the state's southern border. That measure is awaiting House floor debate.

Those who believe the measures might fail in the Senate could be in for a rude surprise: Legislators there have been busy with their own proposals.

The Senate already has adopted one measure to ask voters to expand on the scope of Proposition 200, adopted in 2004, to deny even more government benefits to those not here legally. That would include subsidized child care, adult education and even in some cases the right to pay the lower tuition at state universities charged to residents.

And senators also agreed to ask voters to make it illegal for government agencies to accept certain forms of identification that are not "secure and verifiable," a proposal aimed specifically at cities like Tucson, which accept Mexican consular ID cards for certain services.

And that doesn't even begin to list the bills that lawmakers hope to adopt themselves without seeking voter approval, ranging from demands to deploy the National Guard in Southern Arizona and spending $50 million to buy or lease a radar system to spot border crossers to making it illegal for schools to demand that teachers of academic subjects speak a language other than English.

What is behind all the ballot proposals is a belief that Arizonans are frustrated with the large number of people in this state illegally.

In 2004, the most recent statistics available, the Pew Center for Hispanic Studies estimated there were 500,000 illegal entrants in the state. That figure translates to about one person out of every 11 residents.

And that doesn't include the children of entrants who are U.S. citizens by virtue of being born here — children who the Pew Center said make up a large percentage of students classified as English-language learners. These children are central to the debate of how much more Arizona taxpayers will spend to teach them English — a debate that also has been linked to the problem of the state's porous border.

That flow, in turn, has fueled the debate about the nature of the state.

"We have an overwhelming assimilation problem because of mass immigration," said Rep. Russell Pearce. The Mesa Republican has been the architect of many of these measures.

The response of legislative foes, many of them Hispanic, has been all over the board.

For example, during the debate this past week over declaring English the official language, Rep. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, sought to calm fears of people like Pearce over that assimilation issue. Gallardo, who described himself as a fourth-generation Arizonan who doesn't even speak Spanish, said there is no effort to have any other language declared official in the state.

Rep. Pete Rios, D-Dudleyville, chided the Republican majority for saying they want assimilation but then skimping on funding for programs to ensure that students learn English.

But Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, suggested that Pearce and his allies may be fighting what will be a losing battle: Census figures consistently show that the percentage of Arizonans who identify themselves as Hispanic continues to increase.

"What we are doing today is telling Arizona that we are not ready for change, that we are afraid of what is new and what is different and that we are unwilling to learn about what our community is becoming and will be in the future," she said.

Then there is the question of racism.

Bradley took to the House floor to tell colleagues that Hitler came to power by taking "xenophobic concerns" and reducing them to "trite slogans that emphasize the purity of language and culture and then, by extension, to race, religion and sexuality." And he warned lawmakers that approving this kind of act, even if not mean-spirited, could have repercussions.

"Those of you who think such legislation is necessary must at some level be aware that you are lighting yet another candle of intolerance that distorted, and less well-intentioned minds use at a catalyst for a conflagration that will grow beyond your imagination and control," he said.

But Rep. Marian McClure, R-Tucson, rejected the contention that her support for asking voters to declare English the official language was in any way racist. McClure said she welcomes all newcomers to this country.

"All I really care about is they — anyone that comes to this country — wants very badly to accept the American way of life," she said. "The American way of life includes learning the language."