In November 2024, voters in Iowa will decide on a constitutional amendment related to defining who can vote. The constitutional amendment would do the following: prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote by providing that only a citizen of the U.S., rather than every citizen of the U.S., can vote, and…
A constitutional amendment was introduced in the Louisiana House of Representatives on April 3 that would prohibit funds from a foreign government or any nongovernmental source to be used to conduct elections. As of January 2023, 24 states had enacted legislation to prohibit private funding for election administration. According to NCSL, these laws were enacted…
The Florida House of Representatives on March 31 voted 79-34 along partisan lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed, to pass House Joint Resolution 31. HJR 31 would amend the state constitution to make school board elections partisan. School board members in Florida are elected by the voters of the county and serve four-year…
The Indiana State Legislature referred a constitutional amendment to the Nov. 2024 ballot that would remove the superintendent of public instruction from the gubernatorial line of succession. The elected position was abolished in 2021 and replaced by the secretary of education, a position appointed by the governor. Currently, in Indiana, if the governor becomes incapacitated,…
The North Dakota State Legislature referred a constitutional amendment to the Nov. 2024 ballot that would change the language used in the state constitution to describe certain state institutions. Under the amendment, the following institutions would be renamed: the State School for the Deaf and Dumb in Devils Lake would become the state School for…
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed Senate Bill 31, a bill to establish a new state flag, on March 21, 2023. The new flag will go into effect on March 9, 2024. The current state flag, which was adopted on March 9, 1911, will be referred to as the historic state flag. Cox said, “As…
South Carolina legislators are considering a constitutional amendment to make the state comptroller appointed by the governor rather than elected. If passed by both chambers of the legislature, it would appear on the 2024 ballot for voter approval. The amendment was introduced as Senate Joint Resolution 95 on Jan. 10, 2023. The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee…
Voters in East Baton Rouge Consolidated School District No. 1 will decide on four property tax renewal measures on March 25. In total, approval of the four measures would renew property tax levies of 18.33 mills ($1,833 per $100,000 of a home’s assessed value) for 10 years: Proposition 1: Renew a 6.50 mill property tax…
Voters in Oklahoma rejected State Question 820, an initiative to legalize marijuana, on March 7. Results showed 62% voting ‘No’ on Question 820 and 38% voting ‘Yes’. Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, the campaign behind the initiative, wanted the issue on the general election ballot in 2022. However, due to delays in signature verification and…
In 2024, voters in Wyoming will decide on a constitutional amendment to add residential real property as a fourth, separate, class of property for property tax purposes. Under the amendment, the legislature would be authorized to create a subclass of residential property for owner-occupied primary residences, which could be assessed at a different rate from…