Archives for February 2011

McNultyColorado legislators have ramped up their war against petition rights, bringing a new attack on citizens in the stealth of the night. As the Denver Post notes here and here, the story with Colorado’s citizen initiative process is that it might be dead; the victim of a 2009 legislative hatchet job, parts of which state officials have admitted are unconstitutional.

CPAC 2011

Wed, Feb 9 2011 by Staff

If you happen to be in DC this Thursday through Saturday make sure to come say hello and grab some information from our booth at CPAC 2011. We’ll be there all three days in the exhibition hall talking with citizens about initiative & referendum rights and how they can use them.

Hope to see you there.

Today I will be presenting the following testimony before the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee in support of House Bill 101.

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Today, Citizens in Charge, a national voter rights lobby, joined a group of Colorado-based policy organizations and individuals active in recent state ballot initiatives in sending a letter to new Secretary of State Scott Gessler, officially petitioning his office to engage in rule-making to clarify the state’s initiative and referendum process, which has recently been declared “dead” due to an ongoing lawsuit that threatens to bankrupt initiative sponsors.

“We call on Secretary Gessler to act promptly to clarify the rules in a way that protects the First Amendment rights of all Coloradoans to petition their government,” said Citizens in Charge President Paul Jacob. “The current legal limbo is killing the state’s initiative process.”

The Gipper Turns 100

Sun, Feb 6 2011 by Paul Jacob

Here’s one for the Gipper! Today, the late former President Ronald Reagan would have been 100 years young.

To celebrate his birthday, we at Citizens in Charge highlight his support for initiative and referendum. In 1980, in a letter to New Jersey activist Sam Perelli, Reagan wrote, “George Bush and I congratulate you on your efforts to attain, for the people of New Jersey, the right to initiative and referendum. We urge you to keep up your fight and we endorse your efforts.”

BlockersEarly this morning I made the short drive to Annapolis, Maryland, to meet with Delegate Samuel Rosenberg (D-Baltimore) to ask what Citizens in Charge could do to support his bill aimed at preventing petition blocking and voter intimidation bill and help make it law in the Old Line State. Luckily, Del. Rosenberg asked us to do what we do best in the case: show that this reform will benefit all citizens no matter what their political leanings on any given issue.

Basically, Del. Rosenberg’s bill prevents democracy from being blocked and tackled.

Alright fellow petition fans it’s time for you to weigh in on one of the most pressing issues of the next 48 hours…VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Who is going to win the Big Game this weekend in Dallas?

Packers

Steelers

For the second time in as many weeks the Denver Post has highlighted the deep freezeCar that has overtaken Colorado’s petition process. Colorado citizens are now caught up in a whirlwind of red tape, bad laws, and litigation that may spell the end of initiative rights in the state, but citizens are fighting back, and the media is starting to take notice.

As new research from Ballotpedia.com shows, electoral recall is being used more frequently by citizens looking to hold government officials accountable. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is the latest recall target.

Brewer