Citizens in Charge

The Tea Party movement seems to be waking up to the realization that there is an outlet for all their frustration with government. They want the government to listen to them, they want more say, more representation. Well guess what? The ballot initiative process is one of the best ways out there for Tea Party activists to make their voices heard and reform government.

New Jersey citizens went to the polls yesterday in local elections across the state. The big items on the ballot were school budget referenda, and from the looks of things New Jersey voters made very clear their views on spending in the state:

New Jersey voters took a stand on school spending and property taxes Tuesday, rejecting 260 of 479 school budgets across 19 counties, according to unofficial results in statewide school elections.

As the 26th Alaska Legislature wrapped up its 2010 session late Sunday night, making it harder for citizens to use the state’s already-restricted initiative process was at the front of lawmakers’ minds.

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Today, Citizens in Charge Foundation, a national voter rights group dedicated to protecting the ballot initiative and referendum process, presented Missouri State Senator Jim Lembke with the April 2010 John Lilburne Award for sponsoring Senate Bill 818 and for all his work to make Missouri’s initiative process more open and accessible to the people.

A St. Charles County, Missouri circuit court judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the use of “petition blockers” - people who harass and threaten voters in an attempt to intimidate them not to sign a petition - in one campaign in the state.

Federal Judge Dale Kimball has issued a temporary restraining order barring the Lt. Governor and the clerks of all of the state’s 29 counties from making public the names of voters who signed the Utah Ethics Commission Initiative petition. A hearing has been set for April 28th to determine if the release of voter’s information violates their right to anonymous political speech.

You can read the order here.

As the Texans Taking Charge tour rolls on, I got the chance to travel to Longview, TX on April 5 and speak to the We the People of Longview, a grassroots non-profit organization similar to a Tea Party. I addressed a group of about 70 and their support for initiative & referendum rights was overwhelming. Mike & Cindy Schwartz established the group which began with about 6 people and has no

With Tax Day looming tomorrow, here’s a History Lesson From a 4 Year Old. We released this video last year on April 14th, and the message is still important. Check it out.

Colorado State Senator Abel Tapia currently has a proposal to change the way in which the Colorado State Constitution is amended. One of the changes would be to double the number of signatures required for citizens to put a constitutional amendment change on the ballot for a vote:

We’ve been telling you for some time about Maryland’s ridiculously strict requirements for a valid signature on a referendum petition. That requirement has taken out another effort by citizens to exercise their referendum rights in Howard County as 36% of their petition signatures were rejected.

 

I’ve just completed an online interactive database of Missouri ballot measures from 1910 to 2008. The database allows you to see what measures have passed and failed, and search and sort for various scenarios. You can also generate a list of past ballot measures based on vote requirements you specify. This allows you to see the effect of various super-majority percentages.