Author: Jackie Mitchell
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Proponents submit 313,000 signatures to qualify Medicaid expansion initiative for 2020 ballot in Oklahoma
Proponents of Oklahoma State Question 802—an initiative to expand Medicaid in Oklahoma–reported submitting 313,000 signatures on October 24, 2019, to qualify the measure for the 2020 ballot. Oklahomans Decide Healthcare needs a total of 177,958 valid signatures to qualify its measure for the ballot. The Secretary of State’s office is set to begin a physical…
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Campaign finance updates published for Colorado 2019 ballot propositions
Colorado voters will decide Proposition CC and Proposition DD in two weeks on November 5, 2019. Colorado Proposition CC would allow the state to retain revenue it is currently required to refund under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) to provide funding for transportation and education. Two committees are registered to support Proposition…
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Looking ahead to Florida’s 2020 ballot questions: what is on the ballot and what could be on the ballot?
One measure is currently certified to appear on the Florida 2020 ballot. Proponents of six measures have collected enough signatures (76,632) to trigger ballot language reviews. Proponents of the $15 Minimum Wage Initiative are about 5,000 signatures away from the 766,200 total required signatures, but also need to meet the state’s distribution requirement. On…
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Voters in Memphis approve sales tax for public safety officer benefits
Voters in Memphis, Tennessee, voted to approve an initiative that increased the city’s sales tax by an additional 0.5% (from 2.25% to 2.75%) in order to fund health benefits and pensions to the levels provided in 2014 and 2016, respectively, for fire and police public safety officers. The measure also earmarked additional revenue generated by…
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Citizen voting initiative certified to appear on Florida’s 2020 ballot
On Sept. 19, the Florida Division of Elections reported that the Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative had qualified for the November 2020 ballot. The measure is sponsored by Florida Citizen Voters and has the support of the national Citizen Voters Inc. Florida Citizen Voters submitted 927,662 valid signatures. To qualify the measure for the ballot,…
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Utah legislature makes changes to state medical marijuana law
Utah Proposition 2, approved by voters in November 2018, was altered by the legislature in December 2018 with House Bill 3001. Among other alterations, HB 3001 removed Proposition 2’s provision allowing patients to grow their own marijuana, provided for a state-run medical marijuana dispensary system, and made changes to the list of qualifying conditions. Utah…
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Potential 2020 Florida initiatives: which have made progress?
Proponents of seven citizen initiatives in Florida have submitted enough valid signatures to trigger a ballot language review by the state supreme court. Sponsors must submit 76,632 valid signatures (10% of the number of signatures required statewide coming from at least seven of Florida’s congressional districts) to trigger a ballot language review by the state supreme…
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Signatures submitted for Mississippi medical marijuana amendment targeting 2020 ballot
Mississippians for Compassionate Care, proponents of an initiative to legalize medical marijuana, reported submitting more than 214,000 signatures as of September 5, 2019; 105,686 of which have already been certified by county clerks. Once the clerks have certified the signatures, proponents must file the entire petition with the secretary of state for signature verification. 86,185…
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Campaign finance reports published for Colorado Proposition CC
Colorado Proposition CC on the 2019 ballot would allow the state to retain excess revenue it is currently required to refund under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) to provide funding for transportation and education. One committee is registered to support Proposition CC: the Great Education Colorado Issue Committee. The support campaign has reported…
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10th Circuit Court of Appeals rules Colorado signature distribution requirements constitutional
Colorado voters approved Amendment 71 (sometimes referred to as the Raise the Bar initiative) in 2016. Amendment 71 required initiative petitioners to spread out signature gathering efforts across all of the state’s 35 senate districts, making it more difficult to collect enough signatures to qualify a constitutional amendment for the ballot. Amendment 71 also…