Tag: ballot measures
-
Arkansas passes bill with multiple restrictions on the ballot initiative process
On April 29, Arkansas Senate Bill 614 became law (Act 951). The bill added several restrictions to the state’s ballot initiative and veto referendum process, including to: • ban paying signature gatherers based on the number of signatures gathered, a payment method called pay-per-signature; • require circulators to be state residents and citizens; • add…
-
Austin voters approve five of eight measures, including a sit-lie ordinance, changes to police oversight office, ranked-choice voting
On May 1, voters in Austin approved five measures and defeated three. Proposition A was approved 81% to 19%. It requires the city and firefighters association to participate in binding arbitration. Proposition B was approved 58% to 42%. It prohibits and creates criminal penalties for sitting, lying down, sleeping outdoors, and soliciting money at certain…
-
Tennessee legislature sends right-to-work amendment to voters in 2022
On April 29, the Tennessee General Assembly voted to refer a constitutional amendment to the 2022 ballot that would make it illegal for workplaces to require mandatory labor union membership as a condition for employment. This type of policy is known as right-to-work. Tennessee enacted a right-to-work statute in 1947. Sen. Brian Kelsey (R), the…
-
Florida to vote in 2022 on abolishing the Florida Constitution Revision Commission
The Florida State Legislature gave final approval to SJR 204 on April 27, 2021. The measure, which will appear on the November 2022 ballot in Florida, would abolish the Florida Constitution Revision Commission if approved by 60% of voters. The Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) is a 37-member commission provided for in the state constitution…
-
Arkansas Legislature sends third and final constitutional amendment concerning religious freedom to November 2022 ballot
On April 27, the Arkansas State Legislature passed a third constitutional amendment titled the “Arkansas Religious Freedom Amendment,” which will appear on the state’s November 2022 ballot. The measure would amend the state constitution to provide that “government shall not burden a person’s freedom of religion even if the burden results from a rule of…
-
Montana State Legislature sends ballot measure to change the state supreme court election process to 2022 ballot
Voters will decide in 2022 on a measure to change the election of state supreme court justices in Montana from nonpartisan statewide elections to by-district elections. The measure would not remove any sitting state supreme court justice. Associate justices would be assigned district numbers according to their seat number, and the chief justice would be…
-
Florida State Legislature sends constitutional amendment to 2022 ballot concerning flood resistance improvements and property taxes
On April 26, 2021, the Florida State Legislature gave final approval to House Joint Resolution 1377. Voters will decide the constitutional amendment in November 2022. The measure would authorize the state legislature to pass laws prohibiting flood resistance improvements to a home from being taken into consideration when determining a property’s assessed value for property…
-
The 2020 election gave West Virginia Republican lawmakers the votes needed to place an amendment prohibiting the state judiciary from interfering with impeachments on the 2022 ballot
On April 9, the West Virginia State Legislature voted to refer a constitutional amendment to the 2022 ballot that would say that no state court has jurisdiction to intercede, intervene in, or interfere with impeachment proceedings of the West Virginia House of Delegates or the state Senate. Currently, the state constitution does not state a…
-
Montana voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to require a search warrant to access electronic data in 2022
On April 22, the Montana State Legislature referred a constitutional amendment to the 2022 ballot that would require a search warrant to access electronic data or electronic communications. The amendment would also state that electronic data and electronic communications would be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before…
-
Arkansas State Legislature refers two constitutional amendments to 2022 ballot
The Arkansas State Legislature gave final approval to two constitutional amendments on April 22, 2021, sending them to the November 2022 ballot. One of the amendments would require 60% supermajority voter approval to ratify constitutional amendments (legislatively referred and citizen-initiated) and citizen-initiated state statutes. Constitutional amendments require approval by voters in a statewide election to…