Author: Jackie Mitchell
-
Florida voters will decide on constitutional amendment to adjust homestead exemption for inflation
The Florida State Legislature approved House Joint Resolution 7017, a constitutional amendment, on March 6. Voters will decide on the amendment at the general election in Nov. 2024. The amendment would provide for an annual inflation adjustment for the value of the homestead property tax exemption that applies to non-school taxes. The adjustment would be…
-
Voters in Alabama rejected Amendment 1, which addressed local legislation
In Alabama, voters rejected Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment related to local legislation. The vote was 48.67% ‘Yes’ to 51.33% ‘No.’ The amendment would have eliminated the requirement for a budget isolation resolution for legislators to vote on local laws and constitutional amendments before the approval of budgets and without a 60% vote. In 1984,…
-
Georgia Senate passes constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting; will appear on 2024 ballot if passed in the House
The Georgia State Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 579, related to sports betting, on Feb. 27 by a vote of 42-12 with two members absent and one not voting. The resolution would amend the Georgia Constitution to authorize the state legislature to provide for sports betting. Eighty percent of the tax revenue derived from sports…
-
Alabama voters will decide on a constitutional amendment on March 5 to remove restrictions on local legislation
Alabama’s March 5 primary election will feature a constitutional amendment, Amendment 1, concerning local legislation. Amendment 1 would remove the budget isolation resolution restriction on local laws and local constitutional amendments, thereby allowing them to be considered before budgets are approved without the 60% supermajority vote requirement. In 1984, Alabama voters approved a constitutional amendment…
-
Signatures submitted for North Dakota initiative creating age limits for congressional candidates
The campaign Retire Congress North Dakota submitted 42,000 signatures for a ballot initiative on Feb. 9, 2024. The ballot initiative would be the first to propose age limits for congressional members. The campaign is targeting the ballot for June 11, 2024, which is the state’s primary election. The ballot initiative would prohibit a person from…
-
San Francisco ballot measure to urge school district to offer algebra to 8th graders will be on March ballot
Voters in San Francisco, California, will decide on seven ballot measures on March 5, 2024, including Proposition G, which issues a policy declaration regarding the school district’s mathematics curriculum. Specifically, Proposition G would make it the official policy of San Francisco to encourage the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) to offer Algebra 1 to…
-
Initiatives to provide a constitutional right to abortion and legalize marijuana qualify for the ballot in Florida pending court review
In November, voters in Florida will decide on two citizen-initiated ballot measures—Amendment 3 and Amendment 4—pending the state supreme court’s review. Amendment 3 would legalize marijuana, and Amendment 4 would provide a state constitutional right for abortion. To qualify for the ballot, 891,523 valid signatures were required for each initiative. Florida Amendment 3 Amendment 3,…
-
Mississippi House passes constitutional amendment for new state initiative and referendum process that would prohibit initiatives related to abortion
The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a new state initiative and referendum process. On Jan. 24, the constitutional amendment, House Concurrent Resolution 11, was passed 80-39. Among House Republicans, 78 voted ‘Yes’ and one voted ‘No’. Among House Democrats, 38 voted ‘No’ and one voted ‘Yes’. The one…
-
Voters in San Francisco, California, will decide on seven local ballot measures on March 5
Voters in San Francisco, California, will decide on seven ballot measures on Mar. 5, 2024, including one bond measure, one charter amendment, four ordinances, and one declaration. The ballot measures concern topics related to housing bonds, allowing commercial spaces to be converted to residential properties without incurring a real estate transfer tax, local ethics laws,…
-
Signatures certified for ballot initiative related to police pursuits in Washington; five more are pending signature verification
On Jan. 11, 2024, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) certified that enough valid signatures were submitted for Initiative 2113, meaning the initiative was certified to the state legislature. Initiative 2113 was designed to remove certain restrictions on police officers’ vehicular pursuits. The Let’s Go Washington PAC, which is sponsoring the initiative, submitted 434,594…