Author: Victoria Antram
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California State Legislature votes to send a constitutional amendment to the 2024 ballot related to local votes on certain housing projects
On Aug. 31, the last day of the legislative session, the California State Legislature voted to send Senate Constitutional Amendment 2 (SCA 2) to the ballot in 2024. SCA 2 would repeal Article 34 of the state constitution, which requires local voter approval via a ballot measure for federal and/or state government-funded housing projects classified…
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Campaign to repeal a Massachusetts law related to driver’s license applications submits signatures ahead of the August 24 deadline
Fair and Secure Massachusetts submitted signatures on August 18 for a veto referendum to repeal House Bill 4805 (H4805), a bill to prohibit registrars from inquiring about an applicant’s citizenship or immigration status when applying for driver’s licenses and motor vehicle registrations. On June 9, 2022, the Massachusetts General Court overrode Gov. Charles Baker’s (R)…
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Campaign to increase vote threshold for new or increased taxes in California submits signatures for a place on the 2024 ballot
Californians for Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability submitted more than 1.1 million signatures for a ballot initiative to increase the vote requirement for new taxes and define levies, charges, and fees as taxes in the California Constitution. Currently, state tax increases require approval by a two-thirds vote in each chamber or a simple majority vote…
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Massachusetts voters will decide on two ballot initiatives this fall related to retail alcohol licensing and dental insurance
The Massachusetts Secretary of State completed the signature verification process for the second round of signatures submitted by campaigns for two ballot initiatives. The Committee on Dental Insurance Quality is leading the campaign in support of a ballot initiative to establish a medical loss ratio for dental plans at 83% and require the insurer to…
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California Propositions 26 and 27 become the most expensive ballot measures in California since 1999
Committees supporting and opposing California Propositions 26 and 27, which would enact in-person and mobile sports betting respectively, have raised over $256.4 million becoming the most expensive ballot measures in California history. The committees eclipsed the 2020 app-based drivers initiative, Proposition 22, which raised $224.3 million. Proposition 26, backed by American Indian tribes, would legalize…
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Kansans will vote on the first abortion-related measure on August 2 following SCOTUS ruling
On August 2, Kansans will decide on a constitutional amendment to state that nothing in the Kansas Constitution creates a right to abortion or requires government funding for abortion. It would also say that the legislature has the authority to pass laws regarding abortion. In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the Kansas Bill…
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Idaho voters will decide on an initiative to increase the state’s income and corporate tax rates for education funding in November
On July 22, the Idaho secretary of state announced that an initiative that would increase income tax and corporate tax rates to provide additional education funding had submitted the required number of signatures for the November ballot. Reclaim Idaho, the campaign behind the initiative, filed 95,269 signatures on May 2. In Idaho, the number of signatures…
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California ballot initiative to repeal PAGA qualifies for 2024 ballot
On July 22, the secretary of state reported that a ballot initiative to repeal the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) had qualified for the 2024 ballot after missing the signature verification deadline for the 2022 ballot. In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 5% of the votes…
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Oregon voters to decide on a ballot initiative enacting changes to firearm purchases
On July 18, the Oregon secretary of state reported that a ballot initiative proposing changes to firearm purchases and ammunition magazine limits qualified for a place on the November ballot. Lift Every Voice Oregon, the campaign behind the initiative, filed a total of 160,498 signatures, of which 131,671 were valid. In Oregon, the number of…
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Nebraska medical marijuana campaign turns in signatures for two initiatives
On July 7, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana submitted about 180,000 combined signatures for two ballot initiatives, or about 90,000 signatures for each initiative, that would legalize and regulate medical marijuana. Both ballot initiatives are state statutes and require a number of signatures equal to 7% of the state’s registered voters as of the deadline. As…