Author: Nicole Fisher
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Right to Repair Act initiative certified to the legislature in Maine
On Feb. 21, 2023, the Maine secretary of state announced that enough valid signatures were submitted for the “Right to Repair Act” initiative, allowing it to be certified to the Maine State Legislature. Out of the 83,252 signatures submitted by the Maine Automotive Right to Repair Committee on Jan. 19, 2023, 74,686 of the signatures…
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Gender-neutral language amendment certified for the ballot in South Dakota
In 2024, voters in South Dakota will decide on an amendment to make references to officeholders in the state constitution gender-neutral. The amendment would do so by changing male pronouns to specific titles. The South Dakota House of Representatives voted 58-12 to approve the amendment on Feb. 28, 2023. The South Dakota State Senate voted…
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Amendment to repeal constitutional language regarding slavery as punishment for a crime certified for the 2024 Nevada ballot
An amendment that would repeal language from the Nevada Constitution regarding slavery as punishment for a crime was certified for the 2024 ballot. Voters in Nevada will decide on the amendment on Nov. 5, 2024. On Feb. 23, 2023, the Nevada State Senate voted unanimously to pass the amendment, with all 21 senators voting for…
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Abortion may appear on the Ohio ballot in 2023, and other states expecting abortion-related constitutional ballot measures
Two campaigns in Ohio announced that they are joining efforts to put a statewide abortion-related initiative on the ballot in 2023. On February 16, Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Protect Choice Ohio said that they would file an initiative that would be similar to a measure that voters approved in Michigan in November 2022. That…
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San Antonio charter amendment regarding abortion, marijuana, and police actions has enough signatures for the May 6 ballot
On May 6, 2023, San Antonio voters will decide on a charter amendment regarding abortion, marijuana, and police actions. City officials announced on Feb. 8 that the amendment has enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. Last month, organizers for the amendment, including Act 4 SA and Ground Game Texas, submitted more than 37,000…
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Missouri House approves 60% vote requirement for constitutional amendments
On Feb. 2, 2023, the Missouri House of Representatives voted 108-50 for a constitutional amendment to require a 60% vote requirement for referred and citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. The amendment is titled House Joint Resolution 43 (HJR 43). Of the 108 members who voted for HJR 43, 107 were Republicans and one was a Democrat. Fifty…
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Citizen initiative related to government borrowing for state entities and electric cooperatives certified to the legislature in Maine
On Jan. 26, 2023, the Maine secretary of state announced that enough valid signatures were submitted for an initiative that would require voter approval of borrowing above $1 billion by state entities and electric cooperatives. The initiative is now certified to the Maine State Legislature. If the Legislature does not approve the initiative, it would…
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Voters in Burlington, Vermont, to decide on ballot measures related to policing, ranked-choice voting, noncitizen voting, and more
On March 7, 2023, voters in Burlington, Vermont, will decide on at least seven ballot measures—five of which were placed on the ballot by the Burlington City Council, and two which were placed on the ballot by citizen initiative. The council-referred measures are as follows: A charter amendment that would allow non-citizens who are legal…
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Pennsylvania House adjourns, package of constitutional amendments won’t appear on the May ballot
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives adjourned on January 24, 2023, affecting a package of three constitutional amendments that could have appeared on ballot for May 16, 2023. According to the Department of State, the Pennsylvania General Assembly needed to have the amendments passed by Friday, January 27, to appear on the May ballot. The deadline…
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Amendment prohibiting denial of rights based on sex, reproductive healthcare, and other classes certified for the New York ballot
The New York legislature passed a constitutional amendment on Tuesday, Jan. 24, that would prohibit the denial of rights to an individual based on ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, reproductive status, and other characteristics. By passing this measure, the amendment was certified for the ballot in New York. It will go to voters on November…