Author: Victoria Antram
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Online sports betting is heading to the California ballot in November
On June 27, the California secretary of state reported that an initiative to legalize online and mobile sports betting had qualified for the ballot. The final random sample count concluded that over 1.1 million of the nearly 1.6 million signatures submitted were valid. The required number of signatures for the initiative was 997,139. The initiative,…
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An initiative related to California dialysis clinics qualifies for the November ballot
On June 20, the California Secretary of State announced an initiative to enact staffing requirements, reporting requirements, ownership disclosure, and closing requirements at dialysis clinics had qualified for the November ballot. Californians for Kidney Dialysis Patient Protection, the campaign behind the initiative, submitted over 1 million signatures. The random sample concluded that 725,890 signatures were…
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Massachusetts Supreme Court disqualifies app-based drivers initiative from November ballot
On June 14, the Massachusetts Supreme Court issued a ruling disqualifying the app-based drivers initiative backed by Lyft, Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber, from the November ballot. A lawsuit was filed in January against Secretary of State William Galvin (D) and Attorney General Maura Healey (D) by several app-based drivers and voters arguing that the initiative…
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Campaign behind an initiative to repeal California’s Private Attorneys General Act submitted signatures
On June 9, Californians for Fair Pay and Accountability submitted over 638,000 signatures for a ballot initiative that would repeal the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which allows employees to sue employers and collect a share of monetary penalties for state labor law violations, and replace it with a new law to litigate and penalize…
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California initiative to require additional funding for K-12 art and music education qualifies for the ballot
On June 8, the California Secretary of State announced that an initiative to require additional funding for K-12 art and music education had qualified for the ballot. Californians for Arts and Music Education in Public Schools, the campaign sponsoring the initiative, submitted 1,030,221 signatures for verification in April. Counties conducted a random sample, and the…
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Initiative campaign submits signatures to disqualify Oregon state legislators from re-election after a legislative walkout
On May 27, the sponsors of an Oregon ballot initiative to disqualify state legislators from re-election after a legislative walkout submitted 183,942 unverified signatures. The initiative is a constitutional amendment that would exclude legislators from re-election following the end of their term if they are absent from 10 legislative floor sessions without permission or excuse.…
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Montana voters in Lewis and Clark County will decide on two local-option marijuana taxes on June 7
On June 7, voters in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, will decide on two local-option excise taxes on medical and recreational marijuana sales. The first ballot measure would impose a 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales and related products. The second ballot measure would also impose a 3% tax on medical marijuana sales and related…
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Initiative to increase medical malpractice lawsuit caps in California withdrawn after legislative compromise reached
On May 19, the sponsors of an initiative to increase California’s cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits withdrew the ballot measure from the 2022 ballot after reaching a legislative compromise with legislators. In 1975, the cap was set at $250,000. The ballot initiative would have required an annual adjustment of the cap based…
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Initiative to increase the income tax to fund zero-emission vehicles and wildfire prevention programs in California files signatures
The California secretary of state reported that Clean Air California, the campaign behind initiative #21-0037, submitted signatures on May 16. The number of signatures required to place the initiative on the November ballot is 623,212, which is equal to 5% of the votes cast in the 2018 gubernatorial election. The initiative proposes a new law…
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$18 minimum wage campaign collects 1 million signatures for California initiative
On May 12, Yes on the California Living Wage Act, the campaign behind an initiative to increase the state’s minimum wage to $18, announced that they had collected over 1 million signatures. The initiative would enact a law to increase the minimum wage at different intervals depending on whether an employer has 26 or more…