Category: Ballot measures
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First public hearing on charter amendment to replace the Minneapolis Police Department will take place Wednesday
On July 15, the Minneapolis Charter Commission will hold a public hearing on a proposed charter amendment that would remove all reference to the city’s police department from the charter and add a section establishing the Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention. The Minneapolis City Council proposed this amendment for the Nov. 3 ballot.…
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Citizen initiative activity and petition success rates from 2010 through 2018
As of July 1, 882 ballot initiatives and veto referendums were filed with state officials for circulation during the 2020 election cycle. Initiatives and referendums have been filed in 23 of the 26 states with a statewide process. Washington, Colorado, and Missouri had the highest numbers of filings at 229, 193, and 151, respectively. California…
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Voters in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, renew sheriff property tax levy Saturday
On Saturday, East Baton Rouge Parish voters approved a measure to renew an existing property tax levy to fund the East Baton Rouge Parish Law Enforcement District. Voters approved the measure 52.54% to 47.46%. The measure renewed the property tax at the rate of $373 per $100,000 of assessed property value until the end of…
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Oregon voters will decide on Psilocybin Program Initiative in November
The Oregon Secretary of State certified the Psilocybin Program Initiative for the November ballot after completing the signature verification process on July 8. The secretary of state verified that 132,465 of the 160,963 signatures submitted were valid. The signature validity rate was 82.3 percent. The initiative establishes the Oregon Psilocybin Services Program under the Oregon…
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Three Arkansas initiative campaigns submit signatures by Monday deadline
The signature deadline for citizen initiatives in Arkansas passed on Monday, July 6, 2020. Sixteen initiatives were filed targeting the November 2020 ballot in Arkansas. Three campaigns submitted signatures. All three measures were constitutional amendments, which means 89,151 valid signatures are required to qualify for the ballot. 1. Arkansas Voters First sponsored a constitutional amendment…
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Signatures filed for D.C. ballot initiative on psilocybin mushrooms and entheogenic plants and fungi
On July 6, 2020, the campaign Decriminalize Nature D.C. reported filing 36,249 signatures with the D.C. Board of Elections for a ballot initiative on entheogenic plants and fungi. In Washington, D.C., the number of signatures required for a ballot initiative is equal to 5 percent of the district’s registered voters. As of May 31, there…
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Supporters of payday lending rate caps, expanded gambling, and medical marijuana initiatives file signatures in Nebraska
Supporters of payday lending rate caps, gambling expansion at horse racetracks, and medical marijuana submitted signatures to the Nebraska Secretary of State by the July 3 deadline to qualify for the November 3 ballot. In Nebraska, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated state statute for the ballot is equal to 7 percent…
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North Dakota Voters First submits 36,000 signatures for ranked-choice voting and redistricting initiative
Monday, July 6 was the signature submission deadline for 2020 initiatives in North Dakota. North Dakota Voters First, sponsors of an initiative to make multiple changes to elections in the state, submitted over 36,000 signatures on Monday. To qualify for the ballot, 26,904 valid signatures are required, a validity rate of 74.73 percent. In 2016…
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Washington initiative signature deadline passes with no campaigns submitting signatures
Citizens of Washington may initiate legislation as either a direct state statute—called Initiative to the People (ITP) in Washington—or indirect state statute—called Initiative to the Legislature (ITL) in Washington. In Washington, citizens also have the power to repeal legislation via veto referendum. Citizens may not initiate constitutional amendments. As of July 1, 2020, 229 ITPs…
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Maine Superior Court: Referendum challenging agency action will remain on November ballot
On June 29th, Cumberland County Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren decided not to remove a Maine ballot referendum from the November 2020 ballot that challenges a state agency decision to give permission to build a high-voltage power line. Opponents of the referendum argued in court that the ballot measure violates the separation of powers provision…