Daily Journal
Beyond fireworks, American flags and barbecue, be prepared for another sight at Arkansas’ Fourth of July festivals and parades this weekend: Someone asking for signatures.
Supporters of efforts to raise the state’s minimum wage, legalize medical and recreational uses of marijuana and expand alcohol sales are making a last push to gather signatures over the holiday weekend as they near the deadline to submit petitions to the state.
The group that wants to take the politically powerful process of drawing election maps away from Illinois lawmakers is facing more challenges after election authorities found that a majority of petition signatures needed to put the question to voters were invalid.
State Board of Elections executive director Rupert Borgsmiller said less than half of a 5 percent sample of signatures submitted by the “Yes for Independent Maps” campaign were valid — dealing a blow to an effort that already faces a court challenge in Chicago. But campaign officials say they’ve got enough valid signatures to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot in November and argue the state was “sloppy” in verifying signatures.
Two billboard initiatives plus races for mayor and city council are on the ballot in Tuesday’s election in Rapid City. The initiated measures would, among other things, double the distance required between new billboards and ban new digital billboards. Incumbent Alan Hanks is among four candidates running for mayor. There also are four contested seats for Rapid City Council.
Two Montana citizen groups are trying to do what has only been done once in the past 18 years: block a bill from becoming law by petition. One group proposes to prevent sweeping changes to the state’s medical marijuana law on July 1. The other wants to block a new law that has taken effect and gives utilities the power of eminent domain over private landowners.
A group suing over Nebraska laws governing the petition process said Thursday that it is forming a task force to gather residents’ input on the rules and make recommendations to the Legislature. Paul Jacob, president of Citizens in Charge Foundation Inc., said the state’s petition process has been stifled in the wake of changes made in 2007 and 2008. No one has attempted to put an initiative on the state ballot since those laws went into effect, he said.