Category: Ballot measures
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Abortion right amendment approved by Kansas Senate introduced in the state House
The Kansas Senate voted on Wednesday to approve the No Right to Abortion in Constitution Amendment (Senate Concurrent Resolution 1613), with a 28 to 12 margin. This is one vote above the two-thirds requirement needed in both chambers to move the amendment to the ballot. All Senate Republicans, except for Representative John Skubal from District…
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Deadline for Florida 2020 ballot initiatives passes on February 1, 2020, with four measures qualifying
The signature deadline for citizen initiatives in Florida targeting the 2020 ballot passed on February 1. Since state law gives local elections officials 30 days to verify signatures, petitioners needed to submit signatures on or before January 2, 2020, to guarantee that an initiative would qualify for the ballot in 2020. The signature requirement for…
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Florida voters to decide whether to require two elections for future constitutional amendments
Amendment 4 on the 2020 ballot will ask voters whether or not to require voter-approved constitutional amendments to be approved by voters at a second general election to become effective. Florida constitutional amendments currently require a 60% supermajority vote at one election to take effect. Under Amendment 4, the 60% supermajority requirement would apply to…
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Arkansas voters to decide whether or not to allow optometrists to perform certain eye surgeries
A veto referendum targeting Arkansas House Bill 1251 (Act 579) was certified for the ballot on January 31, 2020, following the resolution of a lawsuit concerning signature validity. Proponents submitted 64,028 valid signatures. To qualify for the ballot, 53,491 valid signatures were required. HB 1251 amended the definition of practice of optometry in state law…
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Over $6.29 million raised for California Proposition 13 (March 2020), a $15 billion education facilities bond measure
Committees surrounding California Proposition 13, a $15-billion education facilities bond measure that is on the ballot for March 3, 2020, filed their first periodic campaign finance reports on January 23, 2020. Of the $15 billion in bonds that Proposition 13 would authorize, $9 billion would be for preschool and K-12 schools, $4 billion would be…
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Signatures filed for North Slope oil tax initiative in Alaska
The campaign Vote Yes for Alaska’s Fair Share filed signatures for a ballot initiative to increases taxes on North Slope oil production fields. The taxes would apply to North Slope fields that have a lifetime output of at least 400 million barrels of oil and had a daily output of at least 40,000 barrels during…
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New campaign finance reports in for 2020 Colorado ballot measures show support campaigns ahead in fundraising
New campaign finance reports for Colorado ballot measures, which covered information through December 31, 2019, show support campaigns had raised more money than opposition campaigns. So far, four measures are certified to appear on the November 2020 ballot in Colorado, including one legislatively referred bond issue, a veto referendum, and two citizen initiatives. No issue…
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Judge strikes down South Dakota initiative petition circulator disclosure requirement
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Charles Kornmann ruled that South Dakota House Bill 1094 violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The bill was designed to do the following: • require a paid petition circulator to register with the secretary of state and provide certain information; • establish a paid petition circulator registration fee…
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NJ voters to decide on expanding property tax deduction to peacetime veterans
On January 13, 2020, the New Jersey State Legislature passed a resolution placing a constitutional amendment related to veterans’ tax payments on the ballot for November 3, 2020. Both chambers of the New Jersey State Legislature passed ACR 253 in unanimous votes, excluding abstaining and absent members. The ballot measure would expand the state’s $250…
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Oklahoma will decide Medicaid expansion in 2020
Oklahoma voters will decide whether or not to expand Medicaid in November. State Question 802, which qualified for the ballot on January 9, would expand Medicaid in Oklahoma under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. It would provide Medicaid coverage for certain low-income adults between 18 and 65 with incomes below 133%…