Voters in Allentown, Pennsylvania, will decide in Nov. 2023 on a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would create the Mobile Community Responder Pilot Program (MCRPP). The program would be designed as an alternative first response to various types of calls related to mental and behavioral health, substance use, welfare checks, family and neighbor disputes, issues related…
Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) submitted signatures on July 31 to place a veto referendum on the Nov. 2024 ballot to repeal the LEARNS Act, an education bill signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R). To qualify for the ballot, 54,422 valid signatures are needed from 50 of Arkansas’ 75 counties. A…
Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) submitted signatures to place a veto referendum on the Nov. 2024 ballot to repeal the LEARNS Act, an education bill signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R). CAPES turned in signatures on July 31 and said they expected to be about 500 signatures short of the requirement.…
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), which sponsored the voter-approved Amendment 4 in 2018, filed litigation in federal court on July 19, 2023, alleging that the state’s implementation of the amendment is preventing eligible voters from voting and intimidating voters. FRRC stated that the state’s implementation is unconstitutional and illegal under the Voting Rights Act.…
The Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference released a report on July 13 finding that approval of the marijuana initiative would generate between $195.6 and $431.3 million in annual state and local revenue if approved by voters. The initiative would legalize marijuana for adults 21 years old and older. Individuals would be allowed to possess up…
The signature submission deadline for Initiatives to the People (ITP)—which is the name of direct ballot initiatives in Washington—passed on July 7, 2023. No campaigns submitted signatures. To qualify for the ballot, proponents would have needed to submit 324,516 valid signatures. A total of 70 ITPs were filed by five sponsors. The filed initiatives concerned…
Former North Dakota Rep. Rick Becker (R) filed an initiative to amend the state’s constitution to prohibit property taxes in the state, except for those designed to pay for bond debt. The measure would limit the debt of a political subdivision (such as counties, cities, and towns) to 2.5% of the value of real property…
In October, Louisiana voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would provide in the state constitution that “the freedom to worship in a church or other place of worship is a fundamental right that is worthy of the highest order of protection.” Under the amendment, a legal challenge brought against a state or a…
Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) began filing ballot language for a proposed veto referendum with the Arkansas attorney general in May after the Arkansas State Legislature adjourned its 2023 legislative session. After two previous attempts were rejected, Attorney General Tim Griffin certified the ballot language submitted by CAPES. The ballot title contains…
Coloradans have decided on 36 statewide ballot measures that were designed to increase revenue for the state, which required voter approval under TABOR. Of the 36 measures, 11 (30.56%) were approved and 25 (69.44%) were defeated. Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), adopted in 1992, was designed to require statewide voter approval of all new…