Author: Nicole Fisher

  • Ohio voters defeat Issue 1 in special election

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    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…

  • Marijuana legalization campaign submits additional signatures for Nov. 2023 ballot; needs 10% to be found valid

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    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…

  • Maine voters to decide on state flag ballot measure in Nov. 2024

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    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…

  • Maine voters to decide on eight ballot measures in November—the most since 2010

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    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…

  • Initiative prohibiting foreign election spending will appear on Maine Nov. ballot

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    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…

  • Constitutional amendment to provide state right to abortion will be on Nov. 2023 ballot in Ohio

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    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…

  • Maine governor vetoes indirect initiative prohibiting foreign election spending, could be on Nov. ballot

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    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…

  • Californians to decide on repealing Proposition 8, which prohibited same-sex marriage, in Nov. 2024

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    California voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would repeal Proposition 8, and add language in the California Constitution stating that “the right to marry is a fundamental right,” on Nov. 5, 2024. Proposition 8 was a constitutional amendment approved by California voters by 52-47% in 2008 that defined marriage as between a man…

  • Citizen initiative related to government borrowing for state entities and electric cooperatives will appear on Maine ballots in November

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    An initiative that would require voter approval of borrowing above $1 billion by state entities and electric cooperatives was certified to the Maine ballot and will go to voters for approval on Nov. 7, 2023. The No Blank Checks PAC is leading the campaign in support of the initiative. On Dec. 27, 2022, 93,000 signatures…

  • Right to Repair initiative will appear on Maine ballots in November

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    A Right to Repair initiative will appear on the Maine ballot on Nov. 7, 2023. The initiative would allow car owners and independent repair facilities to have the same access to onboard diagnostic systems and wireless data that manufacturers and approved repair facilities have access to. According to The Repair Association, an organization advocating for…