Category: Ballot measures
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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%…
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Signatures filed for Alaska initiative that would enact ranked-choice voting, top-four primaries, and campaign finance changes
Signatures filed for Alaska initiative that would enact ranked-choice voting, top-four primaries, and campaign finance changes The campaign Alaskans for Better Elections filed 41,068 signatures on Thursday for a three-pronged ballot initiative to change the state’s election laws. At least 28,501 (69.4 percent) of the signatures submitted need to be valid for the ballot initiative…
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Mississippi to vote on medical marijuana in 2020
The Mississippi Medical Marijuana Amendment has officially qualified for the ballot and was filed with the Mississippi State Legislature on January 7, the first day of the 2020 legislative session. The legislature must act on the measure within four months. The measure will appear on the 2020 ballot regardless of whether the state legislature adopts,…