Author: Victoria Antram
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New Mexico governor signs bond package for senior citizen facilities, libraries, and public education, sending three measures to voters in November
On Mar. 9, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed House Bill 153 (HB 153), a bond package passed by the legislature in February. The bond package authorizes the state to issue a total of $259,722,000 in general obligation bonds. The bond package will appear as three separate ballot questions in November. The ballot…
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Voters in Augusta, Maine will decide on one bond question on March 22
Voters in Augusta, Maine will decide whether to authorize the city to issue $4,455,000 in bonds to fund capital improvements to fire services, city streets, and city facilities on March 22. The city charter authorizes the Augusta City Council to borrow up to $750,000 without voter approval. Anything greater must be submitted to voters for…
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Committee behind an initiative to increase the minimum wage for tipped workers in D.C. submits signatures for the June ballot
On Feb. 22, the DC Committee to Build a Better Restaurant Industry submitted 34,000 signatures to the D.C. Board of Elections in an effort to place Initiative 82 on the June ballot. Initiative 82 would incrementally increase the tipped minimum wage from $5.05 in 2021 to match the minimum wage of non-tipped employees in 2027.…
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Vermont voters to decide whether to add a right to personal reproductive autonomy to the state constitution in November
On Feb. 8, the Vermont House of Representatives took the final vote to send Proposal 5 to the November ballot. Proposal 5 would add language to the Vermont Constitution stating that “an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course.” The amendment would prohibit…
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Vermont voters to decide constitutional amendment for the first time in 12 years that would prohibit slavery and indentured servitude
The Vermont House of Representatives took the final vote on Feb. 4 to send Proposal 2 to voters in November. The constitutional amendment would repeal language stating that persons could be held as servants, slaves, or apprentices with the person’s consent or “for the payments of debts, damages, fines, costs, or the like” and would…
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Texas Republican Party places nonbinding advisory questions on March primary ballot
The Texas Republican Party has placed 10 nonbinding advisory questions on the March 1 primary ballot. The Texas Democratic Party did not place any questions on primary ballots. An advisory question is a type of ballot measure that has no legally binding effect but serves to let voters express their opinions on a policy. The…
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Maine initiative signature deadline passes with no signatures submitted; campaigns target 2023 ballot
The Maine 2022 signature deadline for citizen-initiated measures was Jan. 30. None of the six active campaigns submitted signatures; however, the campaigns have an 18 month circulation period allowing the campaigns to target ballots in 2023. The six initiatives concern requiring a law to establish a publicly funded health coverage program; creating a consumer-owned electric…
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Ohio Secretary of State certifies marijuana legalization initiative to the state legislature
The Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) announced on Jan. 28 that an initiative proposing the legalization of marijuana had submitted enough valid signatures to be presented to the state legislature. The initiative would enact a state law to legalize the cultivation, processing, sale, purchase, possession, home growth, and use of recreational marijuana for…
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Campaigns supporting and opposing Massachusetts additional income tax amendment report $1.6 million in contributions
In November, Massachusetts voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would create an additional income tax of 4% for income over $1 million, in addition to the existing 5% flat-rate income tax, and dedicate revenue to education and transportation purposes. Raise Up Massachusetts, the campaign registered in support of the amendment reported $1.2 million…
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The committee behind a Massachusetts app-based driver initiative reported over $17.8 million in contributions
Massachusetts voters could decide on an initiative in November to classify app-based drivers as independent contractors similar to California’s 2020 Proposition 22. Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers, the committee registered to support the app-based driver initiative, reported receiving $17.8 million in 2021. The committee’s largest donor was Lyft, which contributed nearly $14.4 million in…