Author: Nicole Fisher
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Eleventh Circuit Court issues order in favor of city in Atlanta police facility referendum case
On Sep. 1, 2023, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the City of Atlanta in a lawsuit regarding the constitutionality of non-Atlanta residents collecting signatures for a referendum petition regarding the construction of a police training facility. The court issued a stay on a federal district court’s preliminary injunction that provided…
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Ohio Ballot Board adopts language for abortion-related initiative on Nov. 2023 ballot
The Ohio Ballot Board approved the ballot title for a citizen-initiated measure to provide a state constitutional right to abortion and other reproductive matters. The initiated constitutional amendment will be on the ballot as Issue 1 on Nov. 7, 2023. The Ohio Ballot Board voted 3-2 to reject including the entire text of the amendment…
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Voters of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, located within North Carolina, will decide on a marijuana legalization measure on Sep. 7
Two measures will appear on the ballot for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) voters on Sep. 7, 2023. One measure would allow mixed beverage permits for qualified establishments on tribal lands, and the other measure would legalize marijuana for adults who are at least 21 years old. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians…
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Ohio voters defeat Issue 1 in special election
Ohio voters defeated Issue 1, which would have made changes to the laws governing citizen-initiated constitutional amendments, including increasing the vote requirement to 60% for constitutional amendments, on Aug. 8, 2023. With 95% reporting, election results show 57% of voters opposed and 43% of voters in favor. The One Person One Vote campaign, which led…
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Marijuana legalization campaign submits additional signatures for Nov. 2023 ballot; needs 10% to be found valid
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the campaign supporting a marijuana legalization initiative in Ohio, submitted an additional round of 6,545 signatures to the secretary of state on Aug. 3, 2023. If enough valid signatures are found, this would qualify the initiative for the Nov. 7, 2023, ballot in Ohio. The initiative needs at…
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Maine voters to decide on state flag ballot measure in Nov. 2024
Maine voters will decide on whether to change the design of the state flag on Nov. 5, 2024. This is the first certified statewide measure for the Maine 2024 ballot. The ballot measure would replace the current Maine state flag, which features the state’s coat of arms, with the first official state flag called the…
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Maine voters to decide on eight ballot measures in November—the most since 2010
During a special legislative session, the Maine State Legislature approved four constitutional amendments on July 25 that will appear on the November ballot. Maine voters will decide on these four amendments, as well as four citizen-initiated state statutes, on Nov. 7, 2023. This is the greatest amount of statewide measures to appear on the Maine…
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Initiative prohibiting foreign election spending will appear on Maine Nov. ballot
An initiated state statute to prohibit election spending by foreign governments, including entities with partial government ownership or control, will appear on the Maine ballot on Nov. 7, 2023. In Nov. 2022, Protect Maine Elections, which is the campaign behind the initiative, submitted 67,550 valid signatures, meeting the signature requirement of 63,067 signatures, and was…
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Constitutional amendment to provide state right to abortion will be on Nov. 2023 ballot in Ohio
Ohio voters will decide on a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment related to reproductive decisions, including abortion, in Nov. 2023. This is the first and only statewide abortion measure certified for the ballot in 2023. Two more are currently set for 2024. On July 25, 2023, Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) announced that of the 710,131…
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Maine governor vetoes indirect initiative prohibiting foreign election spending, could be on Nov. ballot
Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) vetoed an indirect initiative that would prohibit election spending by foreign governments, including entities with partial government ownership or control, on July 19, 2023. Voters will decide on the indirect initiative on Nov. 7, 2023, unless the Legislature overrides the governor’s veto. In Maine, citizen-initiated state statutes must meet a…