Delaware
Of the 45 states whose legislatures hold sessions in 2010, 27 of them have adjourned for the year, and 5 more will wrap up before the end of the month. Of the more than 80 bills dealing with the initiative and referendum process in various states, 51 of them would have reduced citizens’ initiative rights. Thanks to the work of activists in our coalitions, only 3 bills reducing citizen’s rights have passed and become law.
Libertarian Wendy Jones of Milton, a veteran Libertarian organizer and activist. Her campaign platform includes a pro-gun rights stance, promoting the use of initiative and referendum — ways by which bills can be put on the ballot before voters — and supporting term limits.
Medical marijuana laws are gaining ground at the state level. Of the 13 states with such laws, four approved them through their legislatures and nine approved them by ballot measures. In the most recent of those, Michigan voters approved a referendum by a 62 percent to 38 percent margin. Voters have approved such programs in every state where they have appeared on the ballot except in South Dakota, where 52 percent of voters rejected an initiative in 2006.
The Indian River School District’s current expense referendum that was scheduled for Thursday, June 11, has been cancelled, district officials said Friday.
The Indian River School District will host a current expense referendum on Thursday, June 11, for the purpose of providing salary increases for teachers and all other employees . If approved, the measure will raise the local portion of district salaries by 6 percent for Fiscal Year 2009 (retroactive) and by an additional 6 percent for FY2010 by an increaseing property taxes.
You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.
Poll:
See the results of a poll on support for statewide initiative & referendum here.
Grade: F
Click here to view Delaware’s individual report in Of the People, By the People, For the People: A 2010 Report Card on Statewide Voter Initiative Rights.
During the Progressive era, the I&R movement publication Equity
described Delaware as one of 11 states where “the initiative sentiment is
all-powerful.”
Article XVI.
§l. Proposal of Constitutional amendments in General Assembly;
procedure.
Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in
the Senate or House of Representatives; and if the same shall be agreed
to by two-thirds of all the members elected to each House, such
proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on their journals,
with the yeas and nays taken thereon, and the Secretary of State shall
cause such proposed amendment or amendments to be published three
A group opposed to Nebraska’s affirmative action law says it won’t appeal a judge’s rejection of their lawsuit challenging the validity of petition signatures
David Kramer, spokesman for Nebraskans United, says the judge’s ruling still leaves questions about whether a petition circulator has to read the entire object statement to each signer.