Citizens in Charge

Today marks the 90th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. On August 18th, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The 19th Amendment prohibits the government from denying anyone the right to vote based on their sex; it gave women the right to vote.

There is great news in Kansas for citizen initiative rights:

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.

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.

It’s time for the U.S. Conference on Initiative & Referendum and the 2010 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy to begin. It all begins this evening with registration and a small reception to welcome speakers, activists, and most importantly citizens, to San Francisco for what is sure to be a great and informative conference.

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Today, Citizens in Charge, a national voter rights group focused on the ballot initiative and referendum process, along with U.S. Term Limits, began running a television ad in Springfield, Missouri, blasting Rep. Mike Parson for his attempts in the Missouri Legislature to pass several measures that would “gut” term limits, unconstitutionally block citizens from petitioning to place issues on the ballot and make it impossible for citizens to speak with most legislators without first registering as lobbyists.

 

The following alert has been circulating amongst good-government groups in Massachusetts. If you live in Massachusetts, please contact your legislators and tell them to vote no on SB 23 / HB 3537:

UPDATE: The press conference will now be held at Hotel Bijou. The address is 111 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.