Author: Jackie Mitchell
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North Dakota voters will decide a marijuana legalization initiative following defeats in 2018 and 2022
North Dakota will decide on a ballot measure in November to legalize marijuana. It will be the third time the state will vote on a marijuana legalization initiative. Burleigh County Commissioner Steve Bakken (R) filed the ballot initiative. He said, “A lot of what we don’t want to see is what’s going on in some…
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In 2024, more bills were enacted to make ballot initiative processes harder or easier compared to the average for the prior six years
During the 2024 legislative sessions, 326 pieces of legislation related to direct democracy—ballot initiatives, referendums, and recall petitions—were proposed. As of August 5, 33 bills and resolutions were enacted, close to the annual average of 34 enacted bills between 2018 and 2023. Of the 33 enacted pieces of legislation, 10 were designed to make the…
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North Dakota initiative to prohibit property taxes certified to appear on Nov. ballot
North Dakota voters will decide on a ballot initiative in Nov. 2024 to prohibit property taxes, except those used to pay for bond debt. End Unfair Property Tax, the campaign supporting the measure, submitted around 41,000 to the secretary of state’s office on June 28, 2024. On Aug. 2, Secretary of State John Thurston certified…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado ballot initiative to create veterinary professional associate (VPA) profession
In Colorado, the campaign All Pets Deserve Vet Care submitted signatures for an initiative to create the profession of veterinary professional associate (VPA), which would require a master’s degree and registration with the State Board of Veterinary Medicine. Sponsors submitted about 200,000 signatures for the initiative on July 29, 2024. To qualify for the ballot,…
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Arkansas voters to decide on ballot initiative repealing Pope County casino license and requiring countywide approval for any future licenses
Voters in Arkansas will decide on an initiative to repeal a casino license in Pope County and require countywide voter approval for any new casino licenses provided for in any future constitutional amendments. Secretary of State John Thurston announced that 116,200 valid signatures were submitted for the measure. To qualify for the ballot, 90,704 valid…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado top-four primary and ranked-choice voting initiative
Colorado Voters First submitted signatures for an initiative that would establish top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting in Colorado. If 124,238 signatures are found valid, the initiative will appear on the ballot on Nov. 5, 2024. The initiative would establish top-four primary elections and ranked-choice voting general elections for the following offices: U.S. Senate, U.S. House…
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Advance Colorado Action submits signatures for three ballot initiatives addressing property taxes, parole eligibility, and a constitutional right to school choice
Advance Colorado Action, an issue advocacy organization that describes its mission as “supporting policies that increase economic opportunity and greater government transparency,” submitted signatures for three ballot initiatives for the November general election ballot. Nearly 200,000 signatures were submitted for each initiative. To qualify for the ballot, each initiative must receive 124,238 valid signatures. The…
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Washington voters to decide on initiative that would prohibit restrictions on natural gas access
The Washington Secretary of State’s office certified that sponsors of Washington Initiative 2066 submitted the required 324,516 valid signatures for the initiative to appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. What would the initiative do? The initiative seeks to repeal changes made to state law by House Bill 1589, passed by the state legislature in March…
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Oklahoma campaign submits signatures for initiative to increase minimum wage to $15
In Oklahoma, the campaign Raise The Wage Oklahoma submitted about 180,000 signatures on July 15, 2024, for a ballot initiative, State Question 832. The ballot initiative would increase the state’s minimum wage. Under State Question 832, the minimum wage would increase as follows: $9 per hour in 2025, $10.50 per hour in 2026, $12 per…
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Republican legislators supported amendments to require citizenship to vote in state and local elections, Democratic support varied by state
Since 2018, ballot measures to amend state constitutions to prohibit noncitizens from voting have appeared in six states. In Nov. 2024, voters in eight more states will decide on ballot measures to prohibit non-citizen voting: North Carolina, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The ballot measures are designed to amend the states’…