Author: Jackie Mitchell
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Arkansas Supreme Court rules signatures must be counted for Optometry Referendum
A veto referendum effort in Arkansas is moving forward after a state supreme court ruling on Thursday ordered the secretary of state to count the signatures submitted by proponents. The referendum seeks to overturn Act 579 (House Bill 1251) which amended the definition of practice of optometry to allow optometrists to perform surgical procedures. Safe…
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Citizen voting requirement initiative certified to appear on Colorado’s 2020 ballot
On Dec. 12, the Colorado Secretary of State’s office reported that the Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative had qualified for the November 2020 ballot. This measure would amend the Colorado Constitution to state that only citizens of the United States are qualified electors in Colorado. The measure is sponsored by Colorado Citizen Voters and has…
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Top-Two Primaries measure is the third amendment to be certified for Florida’s 2020 ballot
A measure to establish a top-two open primary system in Florida was certified on Dec. 6 to appear on the 2020 ballot. All Voters Vote, Inc. submitted 769,545 valid signatures for the initiative. To qualify, 766,200 valid signatures were required. The measure would establish a top-two open primary system for primary elections for state legislators,…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado gray wolf initiative
The Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund (RMWAF) reported submitting over 210,000 signatures on Tuesday, December 10, to qualify their initiative for the 2020 ballot. The measure would require the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to create a plan to reintroduce and manage gray wolves on designated lands in the western part of the state by…
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Court hearing for Washington I-976 set for November 26
Washington voters approved Initiative 976 earlier this month in a vote of 53% to 47%. The measure, sponsored by Tim Eyman, was designed to limit annual license fees for vehicles weighing under 10,000 pounds at $30 except voter-approved charges, base vehicle taxes on the Kelley Blue Book value rather than 85% of the manufacturer’s base…
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Voters in New Orleans approve bond proposition, short term rental tax, and Human Rights Commission measure; defeat millage proposition
Voters in New Orleans decided four ballot measures on November 16, 2019, approving three of them and rejecting one. All of the measures were referred to the ballot by the New Orleans City Council. Approved measures: Short Term Rentals Occupancy Tax (65% in favor, 35% against): This measure authorized an additional 6.75% tax…
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Colorado Citizen Voters announces submitting 200,000 signatures for 2020 initiative to require Colorado voters to be U.S. citizens
On November 12, 2019, Colorado Citizen Voters, sponsors of Colorado Initiative 76, announced having collected and submitted around 200,000 signatures to qualify the initiative for the 2020 ballot. To qualify for the ballot, 124,632 valid signatures are required. This measure would amend the Colorado Constitution to state that only citizens of the United States…
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Washington residents voted on 15 ballot measures on November 5; here’s what happened
Fifteen statewide ballot measures were on the ballot in Washington on November 5, including three binding statewide ballot measures and 12 non-binding tax advisory votes. Citizen initiated measures: Referendum 88, which was rejected, was a statewide vote on I-1000 (an initiative to allow affirmative action that was approved by the legislature). A yes…
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Florida $15 Minimum Wage Initiative to appear on 2020 ballot
Florida voters will decide in 2020 whether to raise the state’s minimum wage, which is currently $8.46 per hour. The measure, which will appear on the 2020 ballot as Amendment 2, would increase the minimum wage to $10 per hour on September 30, 2021, and raise the wage by $1 per year until reaching $15…
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Texas Proposition 10, allowing a retiring law enforcement animal to be transferred to the animal’s handler, is approved by a vote of 94% to
Texas voters approved Proposition 10 in a vote of 94% in favor to 6% against. Under the state’s Local Government Code, a retiring police dog or working animal is classified as salvage or surplus property and, according to code, surplus or salvage property can be auctioned, donated to a civic or charitable organization, or…