Citizens in Charge

Federal District Court Judge Philip Brimmer has put another nail in the coffin of the Colorado General Assembly’s attempt to silence the state’s voters. Back in June the judge issued a preliminary injunction against part of HB 1326 - which passed overwhelmingly in 2009 - that restricted how ballot initiative campaigns could pay their workers. Last week he followed with another order saying Colorado couldn’t prevent campaigns from using petition circulators from other states.

There are some great pictures of the conferences in San Francisco from Steve Rhodes Flickr account. Check them out if you haven’t done so already, and also make sure to check out our YouTube channel and watch Paul Jacob’s opening speech from the U.S. Conference on Initiative & Referendum.

If you haven’t already, take a look at the new report out from Citizens in Charge Foundation on allegations of fraud in the initiative & referendum process around the country. The results might surprise you.

Is the F-Word Overused? I think so.

Joan Stern penned a wonderful ”˜Poem of the Global Forum,’ entitled “Let’s Not Compromise Initiatives.” Read it here.

The U.S. Conference on Initiative & Referendum and 2010 Global Forum were a great success. Hundreds of citizens, activists, reporters, and scholars attended.

Here is the beginning of Citizens in Charge Foundation President Paul Jacob’s opening remarks at the U.S Conference on I&R in San Francisco. It was a great opening speech that set the tone for an informative and lively conference. Make sure to check it out. Part II to come shortly.

The video can be viewed on our website here. Or our YouTube Channel here.

Last night Missouri voters went to the polls and passed Proposition C by a nearly 3 to 1 margin. Prop C blocks the federal government from mandating that Missouri citizens purchase some form of healthcare as outlined in the healthcare bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama earlier this year:

In recent years, widespread allegations of petition signature fraud have been used as justification for a number of legislative changes to the citizen initiative process. These changes have in turn sparked controversy, culminating in court challenges over regulations that initiative proponents contend are unconstitutionally restrictive.

The initiative funding report from Citizens in Charge Foundation is now available in pdf form on the Truth in Governance section of the website. To view the full report please click here.

Our 50-State Poll on national support for initiative & referendum and report on petition signature fraud will be available shortly as well. Stay tuned!

After a great first day here in San Francisco, the second day begins with a panel on lawyers in the initiative process.

Yesterday was marked by lively debate and certainly a diversity of opinion. The panel yesterday afternoon on petition reform and fraud really got folks political juices flowing. Ohio Representative Jennifer Garrison debated Brandon Holmes from CICF on how to make the process better. After the panel there were tough questions and lively debate on the issue. It was a great display of both sides of the issue and we thank Rep. Garrison for attending and putting forth her argument.

Stay tuned for further updates on the program today.