Category: Ballot measures
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Lawsuit concerning voting rights restoration in Florida goes to trial
Florida voters approved Amendment 4, a citizen initiative, in 2018 by a vote of 65% in favor to 35% against. The initiative was designed to automatically restore the right to vote for people with prior felony convictions, except those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense, upon completion of their sentences, including prison, parole,…
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California to vote on realtors-backed property tax transfers and exemptions initiative in November
On April 23, 2020, the office of Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced that a random sample of signatures projected that enough were valid for the California Association of Realtors’ (CAR) initiated constitutional amendment to appear on the ballot for November 3, 2020. Some of the ballot initiative’s provisions are similar to CAR’s 2018 ballot…
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Signatures filed for California ballot initiative related to dialysis clinic requirements
Californians could vote on a ballot initiative related to dialysis clinics for the second general election in a row. In 2018, 59.9 percent of voters rejected a proposal, titled Proposition 8, to require dialysis clinics to issue refunds to patients or patients’ payers for profits above a defined threshold. The SEIU-UHW West, a labor union…
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U.S. Supreme Court overturns Oregon ballot measure from 1932 that enacted non-unanimous jury verdicts
On April 20, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned an Oregon ballot measure from 1932 in its ruling on Ramos v. Louisiana. In 2016, Evangelisto Ramos was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment on a 10 to 12 jury verdict. He appealed his conviction to the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, arguing his…
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Kentucky voters to decide constitutional amendment changing the terms and requirements for certain judicial offices
On the last day of its legislative session, the Kentucky General Assembly certified the Terms of Judicial Offices Amendment for the November ballot. The amendment would make the following changes to the Kentucky Constitution: increase the terms of circuit court clerks and commonwealth’s attorneys from six years to eight years starting in 2030; increase the…
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Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) sets June primary election date for Medicaid expansion question
On April 17, 2020, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) declared that State Question 802, which would expand Medicaid, will appear on the June 30 primary ballot rather than the November 3 general election ballot. Initiatives in Oklahoma are generally placed on the next general election ballot following signature verification, but the governor may choose to…
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Mississippi voters will decide between two versions of a medical marijuana amendment in November
Initiative 65 and Alternative 65A, two versions of a medical marijuana amendment, will appear on the ballot in Mississippi on November 3, 2020. Initiative 65 was sponsored by the Medical Marijuana 2020 campaign and put on the ballot through a citizen initiative signature petition. The state legislature voted in March 2020 to refer Alternative 65 to the ballot alongside Initiative 65…
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Kentucky Legislature puts Marsy’s Law amendment for November ballot
On April 14, 2020, the Kentucky Legislature approved a constitutional amendment that would add to the Kentucky Constitution specific rights for crime victims, together known as Marsy’s Law, for the November ballot. The specific rights include: to be treated with fairness and due consideration for the victim’s safety, dignity, and privacy; to be notified about…
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Wisconsin voters approve Marsy’s Law crime victims constitutional amendment
On April 7, 2020, voters in Wisconsin approved Marsy’s Law—a type of constitutional amendment addressing the rights of crime victims. With 96% of precincts reporting, the measure was ahead by 75% to 25%. The Wisconsin State Legislature referred the constitutional amendment to the ballot on May 15, 2019. Voters in 12 other states have approved…
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Gov. DeSantis signs Florida initiative process restrictions into law
The Florida legislature approved a bill April 9 regarding the state’s ballot initiative process. Senate Bill 1794, which Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law the same day, included the following provisions: increases the signature requirement threshold to trigger a review of the initiative petition by the Florida Supreme Court—changing it from 10% to 25%…