Author: Jackie Mitchell
-
Arkansas Voters First, redistricting initiative sponsors, file lawsuit seeking relief from signature petition requirements
Arkansas Voters First, sponsors of an initiative to create an independent redistricting commission, filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State John Thurston (R) on April 22. To qualify for the November ballot, sponsors need to submit 89,151 valid signatures by July 3, 2020. Signatures for Arkansas initiatives must be collected in person. Currently, none of…
-
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) sets June primary election date for Medicaid expansion question
On April 17, 2020, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) declared that State Question 802, which would expand Medicaid, will appear on the June 30 primary ballot rather than the November 3 general election ballot. Initiatives in Oklahoma are generally placed on the next general election ballot following signature verification, but the governor may choose to…
-
Mississippi voters will decide between two versions of a medical marijuana amendment in November
Initiative 65 and Alternative 65A, two versions of a medical marijuana amendment, will appear on the ballot in Mississippi on November 3, 2020. Initiative 65 was sponsored by the Medical Marijuana 2020 campaign and put on the ballot through a citizen initiative signature petition. The state legislature voted in March 2020 to refer Alternative 65 to the ballot alongside Initiative 65…
-
Valid signatures for Colorado 22-Week Abortion Ban Initiative fall short; proponents have a 15-day cure period set for Apr. 12-27
Due Date Too Late, proponents of an initiative to ban abortion after 22 weeks gestation, submitted a total of 137,624 signatures on March 4. To qualify for the 2020 ballot in Colorado, 124,632 valid signatures are required. On April 3, the Colorado Secretary of State’s office announced that proponents submitted 114,647 valid signatures. In Colorado,…
-
Three measures are set to appear on South Dakota’s 2020 ballot
Two citizen initiatives and one legislatively referred constitutional amendment will appear on the November ballot in South Dakota. The signature deadline for ballot measures targeting the 2020 ballot in South Dakota passed on November 3, 2019. The South Dakota State Legislature, which can refer measures to the ballot, adjourned on March 30, 2020. The two citizen…
-
Initiative to eliminate property taxes in North Dakota approved for signature gathering
An initiative to amend the North Dakota Constitution to eliminate property taxes was approved for signature gathering on March 25. The initiative was filed by North Dakota Republican Representative Rick Becker. To qualify for the November ballot, 26,904 valid signatures are due before midnight on July 6, 2020. Becker, who estimated that North Dakota collects…
-
Signature deadline for citizen initiatives in Idaho is May 1; two campaigns have suspended signature drives due to coronavirus
Signatures for citizen initiative petitions in Idaho are due on May 1, 2020. To qualify for the November ballot, 55,057 valid signatures are required. As of March 19, 2020, three citizen initiatives were cleared to gather signatures targeting the 2020 ballot in Idaho. The Idaho Minimum Wage Increase Initiative was designed to increase the minimum…
-
So far, Florida residents are set to vote on six constitutional amendments
The Florida Legislature referred two constitutional amendments to the ballot during its 2020 legislative session, which ended on March 13. Five other proposed constitutional amendments had passed one chamber of the state legislature but were not approved in the other chamber before the session adjourned. Also on the Florida 2020 ballot are four citizen-initiated constitutional…
-
Utah residents set to vote on seven constitutional amendments in November
The Utah Legislature passed three constitutional amendments on Wednesday, bringing the total amendments set to appear on the Utah 2020 ballot to seven. The 2020 legislative session was set to adjourn on Thursday, March 12, 2020. The Legislature also referred four amendments to the ballot during the 2019 legislative session. Below are summaries of the…
-
Georgia legislature refers constitutional amendment to 2020 ballot concerning dedication of tax and fee revenue
The Georgia Legislature voted on Monday to send House Joint Resolution 164 to the November 2020 ballot for voter consideration. The measure would authorize the Georgia Legislature to dedicate certain tax or fee revenue to the public purpose for which the taxes or fees were imposed. For example, the measure would allow revenues resulting from…