Author: Victoria Antram
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Nebraska Governor Ricketts donated $100,000 to campaign opposing state’s three gambling initiatives
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (R) donated $100,000 to Gambling with the Good Life, the campaign opposing Initiatives 429, 430, and 431. Together, the initiatives would authorize, regulate, and tax gambling at licensed horse racetracks. Gambling with the Good Life reported receiving over $139,000 in cash contributions. The other top two donors to the campaign were…
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Montana voters to decide five ballot measures related to firearms, marijuana, and the initiative process in November
Montana voters will decide five statewide ballot measures on November 3 concerning firearms, marijuana, and the ballot initiative process. The two citizen initiatives on the ballot—CI-118 and I-190—were sponsored by New Approach Montana and are designed to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. CI-118 would amend the Montana Constitution to authorize the legislature or a…
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President Trump announces nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court
President Trump (R) announced his nomination of appellate judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court Saturday to fill the vacancy opened by the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett is currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, the federal appellate court with jurisdiction over Illinois,…
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Support and opposition committees for Massachusetts Question 1 (“Right to Repair Law” initiative) reported $34.8 million in combined contributions
Updated on Sept. 19, 2020 Massachusetts voters will decide Question 1 on Nov. 3. The initiative would require manufacturers that sell vehicles with telematics systems in Massachusetts to equip them with a standardized open data platform beginning with model year 2022. The platform would need to allow vehicle owners and independent repair facilities may access…
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Glynn County, Georgia, ballot measure to abolish local police ruled unconstitutional
On September 11, a Georgia Superior Court judge ruled that the authority to abolish a local police department is held by local officials and cannot be voted on via a public referendum. The court’s decision removed the Glynn County Abolish County Police Department Measure from the November ballot. The measure would have abolished the Glynn…
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Nebraska Supreme Court removes Medical Marijuana Initiative from November ballot
On September 10, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that the Medical Marijuana Initiative violated the state’s single-subject rule and ordered the secretary of state to remove it from the November ballot. The court’s ruling came after the secretary of state received written objections to the ballot language of the initiative from several Nebraskan residents. The…
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Nebraska Supreme Court places gambling initiatives on November ballot
On September 10, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that a trio of initiatives that would authorize, regulate, and tax gambling at horse racetracks did not violate the state’s single-subject rule and ordered they be placed on the November ballot. Secretary of State Bob Evnen (R) announced on August 25 that the Constitutional Amendment to Allow…
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Missouri Amendment 3 receives third ballot title from state Court of Appeals
On August 31, a panel for the Missouri Court of Appeals agreed with a Cole County Circuit Court judge that “certain aspects of the official summary statement are unfair or insufficient and require revision,” but the panel said its draft of the ballot title had “more limited revisions than those ordered by the circuit court.”…
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Ballotpedia is tracking 21 local police-related ballot measures in nine states
As of August 28, Ballotpedia is tracking 21 local police-related ballot measures in 16 jurisdictions in nine states. These local ballot measures were proposed in the wake of George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020. Of the 21 ballot measures, seven of them are on the ballot in California and four of them are on…
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Nebraska Medical Marijuana Initiative qualifies for the ballot
On August 28, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen (R) announced that the Nebraska Medical Marijuana Initiative had qualified for the ballot despite objections filed with the secretary of state’s office regarding the ballot language. Secretary Evnen received the objections on August 26 from attorney Mark Fahleson representing several Nebraskans. The objections argued that the…