Author: Victoria Antram
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Seven propositions on California's general election ballot this year
June 30 was the deadline for ballot propositions to qualify for the November general election ballot in California. The deadline applied to signature verification, ballot proposition withdrawal, and legislative referrals. Californians will be deciding on seven ballot propositions—six citizen-initiated measures and one legislatively referred constitutional amendment. At the top of the ballot will be a…
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Initiative to increase the income tax to fund zero-emission vehicles and wildfire prevention programs in California qualifies for the ballot
On June 28, 2022, the California secretary of state reported that an initiative to increase the tax on personal income above $2 million by 1.75% and dedicate revenue to zero-emission vehicle projects and wildfire prevention programs had qualified for the November ballot. Clean Air California, the campaign behind the initiative, filed 990,608 raw signatures. The…
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Californians will decide on an amendment to provide a right to abortion and contraceptives in November
On June 27, the California State Assembly voted 58-16 on a constitutional amendment providing that "The state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions ..." Voters will decide on the measure in November. The amendment was introduced following the leak of a draft majority opinion for Dobbs…
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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…