Author: Victoria Antram
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Ballot initiative to increase funding for arts and music education in California schools submits signatures
The campaign behind an initiative to increase funding for arts and music education in California public schools announced it had submitted 1 million signatures for verification on April 26. The required number of signatures to place the proposed law on the 2022 ballot is 623,212, which is equal to 5% of the votes cast in…
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Voters in Little Rock to decide measure to reduce an ad valorem tax for the Central Arkansas Library System
Voters in Little Rock will decide on a ballot measure that would reduce the existing capital-improvement millage from 1.8 to 1.3 mills on May 24. This would equate to $130 per $100,000 of assessed property value. The existing limit is a combination of two separate ad valorem taxes each at 0.9 mills. The measure would…
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Nebraska legislature sends constitutional amendment to voters to authorize local governments to develop commercial air travel
On April 12, the Nebraska legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to the ballot authorizing any city, county, or other political subdivision that operates an airport to spend revenue to develop commercial air travel at the local airport. To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a 60% vote is required in the…
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Maryland voters will decide on a ballot measure to require Howard County Circuit Court judges to serve as orphans’ court judges in November
On April 8, the Maryland General Assembly voted to send a ballot measure to voters in November to require Howard County Circuit Court judges to serve as orphans’ court judges and remove the election requirement of three orphans’ court judges. The bill would also make changes to state law, if the amendment is approved, to…
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D.C. voters to decide whether to increase the minimum wage for tipped workers in November
On April 6, the D.C. Board of Elections announced that the campaign behind Initiative 82, which would increase the minimum wage for tipped workers, submitted 27,026 valid signatures—enough to qualify for the ballot. The campaign had originally targeted the June primary ballot, but with a delay during the signature verification process the board missed the…
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Kansas voters to decide whether to add sheriff elections to the state constitution
On April 1, the Kansas State Legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to the November ballot that would require the election of county sheriffs in counties that had not abolished the office as of January 2022 and would provide that sheriffs may be recalled from office or removed by a writ of quo warranto…
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Maryland voters will decide on a marijuana legalization amendment in November
On April 1, the Maryland General Assembly voted to refer a constitutional amendment to voters in November that would legalize marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older beginning in July 2023 and direct the state legislature to pass laws for the use, distribution, regulation, and taxation of marijuana. To put a legislatively referred…
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The deadline to register to vote in the May constitutional amendment election in Texas is April 7
Texans are heading to the polls on May 7 to decide two constitutional amendments. The deadline to register to vote in the election is April 7. The Texas State Legislature referred two measures to statewide ballots during the second and third special legislative sessions of 2021. The ballot measures were the first referred to an…
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Voters in Augusta, Maine approve $4.5 million in bonds for fire and emergency services capital improvements
Voters in Augusta, Maine approved a bond measure on March 22 that authorizes the city to issue $4,455,000 in bonds to fund fire and emergency services capital improvements and city infrastructure. The vote margin was 71.2% to 28.8%. A simple majority vote was required to approve the measure. The city charter authorizes the Augusta City…
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Sixteen Thirty Fund, ACLU, and Planned Parenthood contribute to the campaign behind Vermont Proposal 5, the Right to Personal Reproductive Autonomy Amendment
In its March 15 campaign finance filings, Vermont for Reproductive Liberty, the campaign behind Proposal 5, reported receiving $183,207 in contributions. Proposal 5 would amend the Vermont Constitution to add language protecting the right to personal reproductive autonomy and prohibiting government infringement unless justified by a compelling state interest. Currently, the right to abortion is…