Author: Jackie Mitchell
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Portland voters approve income tax to fund homeless services and gas tax renewal
Voters in the Portland Metro area in Oregon approved Measure 26-210 on Tuesday, authorizing an income surtax and business tax to fund homeless services. The measure authorizes a 1% tax on household income above $200,000 and individual income above $150,000 and a 1% profit tax on businesses with gross receipts higher than $5 million. The…
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Voters in Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, and New York to decide a combined $5.16 billion in bond issues in 2020
Seven bond issues (totaling $5.16 billion combined) are on the ballot for voters in Maine, on July 14, and Colorado, New Mexico, and New York on November 3. A bond issue is a measure placed on the ballot by the state or local government that asks voters to approve the issuance of bonds. A bond is…
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Oklahoma voters to decide State Question 814 to allocate a portion of tobacco settlement revenue to Medicaid funding
The Oklahoma State Legislature passed Senate Joint Resolution 27 on Friday, which will appear on the statewide ballot as State Question 814 on November 3. The constitutional amendment would decrease appropriations made to the state’s Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Fund from 75% to 25% of tobacco settlement revenue. Funds that are not being deposited…
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Proponents of North Dakota ranked-choice voting and redistricting initiative file lawsuit to collect signatures electronically
North Dakota Voters First, proponents of the North Dakota Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting, Redistricting, and Election Process Changes Initiative filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota Eastern Division on May 6, 2020. Plaintiffs argued that North Dakota’s requirement that petitioners physically witness each signature and that each petition be signed by a…
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Lawsuit concerning voting rights restoration in Florida goes to trial
Florida voters approved Amendment 4, a citizen initiative, in 2018 by a vote of 65% in favor to 35% against. The initiative was designed to automatically restore the right to vote for people with prior felony convictions, except those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense, upon completion of their sentences, including prison, parole,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…