Tag: ballot measures
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Supreme Court and FEC distinguish campaign finance regulations for ballot measures from candidate elections, including for foreign spending
Campaign finance rules for ballot measures differ from those for candidate elections. “Referenda are held on issues, not candidates for public office,” wrote the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978 (First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti). The court has held that spending on ballot measure campaigns is similar to issue advocacy in the lawmaking process.…
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Louisiana state legislature refers two constitutional amendments to Dec. 7 ballot related to state legislative processes
The Louisiana State Legislature referred two constitutional amendments to the ballot that voters will decide on Dec. 7. Rep. Tony Bacala (R-59) sponsored both amendments, House Bill 48 and House Bill 49, in the State House. House Bill 48, passed unanimously by the legislature, would add a 48-hour waiting period before a concurrence vote on…
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FEC ruling allows federal candidates to raise unlimited funds for ballot measure campaigns
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) released an opinion on May 1 determining that federal officeholders and candidates are allowed to solicit funds for ballot measure committees without regard to the amount limitations and source restrictions in the Federal Election Campaign Act. Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, sponsors of an initiative that would create a state constitutional…
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Update on 2024 ballot measure certifications
For 2024, 88 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 33 states, one more measure than the average (87) for this point in the election cycle from 2012 to 2022. The average number of statewide ballot measures certified for an even-numbered year during this period was 157. Here’s an update on the…
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Update on 2024 ballot measure certifications
For 2024, 87 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 30 states, six more measures than the average (81) for this point in the election cycle from 2012 to 2022. The average number of statewide ballot measures certified for an even-numbered year during this period was 157. Here’s an update on the…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado initiative that would require an economic impact summary for all ballot measures
In Colorado, signatures were submitted for a citizen-initiated ballot measure on March 27. The ballot initiative would require that an economic impact statement be included on the ballot for each measure, before the question itself is presented to voters. The economic impact statement would need to state the effect the measure would have on state…
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California Proposition 1 is the eighth-closest statewide ballot measure election since at least 1908, with a margin of 0.38%
California Proposition 1 was approved by a vote of 50.19% to 49.81%—a 0.38% margin—as of March 26, with more than 95% of the vote accounted for. Fifteen days after the election, the Associated Press called Proposition 1 as approved. Proposition 1 joins 16 other California statewide measures decided by a margin of less than 0.5%…
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Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas ballots have featured political party platform advisory questions in recent years
Ballotpedia has tracked nonbinding political party platform advisory questions in three states—Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas. Democratic and Republican parties have placed these questions on statewide ballots to gauge voters’ support for various policy proposals. All three states have open primaries, meaning that voters do not have to formally affiliate with a political party in…
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Florida abortion rights initiative surpasses signature requirement to appear on 2024 ballot pending state supreme court approval
Floridians Protecting Freedom has submitted 911,169 valid signatures to place an initiative on the Nov. 2024 ballot that would prohibit any state laws that restrict, delay, penalize, or ban abortion before fetal viability. To qualify for the ballot, 891,523 valid signatures (equal to 8% of the total votes cast in the last presidential election) were…
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Two 2024 ballot initiative campaigns report reaching the 25% signature threshold in California
The California secretary of state reported on Dec. 13 that two California ballot initiatives campaigns had collected at least 25% of the required number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot in 2024. Protect Patients Now, sponsored by the California Apartment Association, is gathering signatures for an initiated state statute to require healthcare providers…