National
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that speaks to core issues of voting and political freedom: Should the names of people who sign petitions to get referendums on ballots be public or secret? The question is whether signing such a referendum is similar to casting a vote in an election or more closely resembles the type of political activism that should be public, such as making a sizable donation to a campaign.
On Wednesday, April 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Doe v Reed case out of Washington State. The case will decide whether or not signers of an initiative petition have a right to privacy. The Doe side argues that signing a petition is protected free speech and the release of the names will result in intimidation from opponents. Reed argues that the release of the names is part of keeping government transparent and preventing fraud.
Check out our new video to hear from both sides in the case.
On April 15 we stopped by Tea Parties in Maryland and Washington, DC to see what attendees thought about government reform and the initiative & referendum process. Check out what they had to say here.
The Tea Party movement seems to be waking up to the realization that there is an outlet for all their frustration with government. They want the government to listen to them, they want more say, more representation. Well guess what? The ballot initiative process is one of the best ways out there for Tea Party activists to make their voices heard and reform government.
Chris Bass, who is 36 years old, made an early fortune on Wall Street and now lives in Liberty Lake, near Spokane Washington, where he chosen another line of work. Bass is promoting nine measures on the November ballot that seek to rein in government power, ranging from invalidating the new federal health care law to lifting government gun controls. Bass has never filed a state ballot initiative, let alone nine at one time, but like other Tea Party activists, he says he is disillusioned with government and wants to make a change.
With Tax Day looming tomorrow, here’s a History Lesson From a 4 Year Old. We released this video last year on April 14th, and the message is still important. Check it out.
Richard Winger gives a great rundown at Ballot Access News of the many amicus briefs submitted in Doe v. Reed. The United States Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether signatures on initiative and referendum petitions are private or a matter of public record.
While around the United States legislators and special interests seek to restrict citizens’ initiative & referendum petitioning rights, the European Union is expanding them. Joe Matthews of the New America Foundation notes:
The news here are the choices the Europeans appear to be making about how to structure the new signature gathering process. In almost every way, their process represents a vast improvement on what we have in California.
Elections are not just about choosing your representatives, political executives, and party standard bearers. Election season is about more than the horse race between Republicans and Democrats. For a large part of the country, election day is an important moment of direct democracy, through ballot initiatives and referendums. The initiative process allows citizens to directly vote on laws and state constitutional amendments.
With last nights passage in the House of the Democrat’s healthcare bill, many are looking for ways to block it in their states. In Michigan a petition drive has been launched to exempt the state from the overhaul of healthcare.
While banning campaign workers from being paid based on how many signatures they collect on a petition has been struck down as unconstitutional in five different states, eight states still have such bans or other restrictions in place. Payment-per-signature allows citizens greater certainty in judging the cost of a petition effort, and states that have enacted bans have seen the cost of qualifying an initiative rise considerably.
Here at the foundation we are constantly getting requests for information on petitioning rights from journalists, lawmakers, scholars, and legal experts. One of the frequently asked questions is “How many states recognize petitioning rights?” Since states vary widely in what rights they recognize, the answer to that isn’t so simple.
States vary widely in whether initiative and referendum rights are recognized and to what extent. The chart below gives a more detailed picture of which states recognize the various petition processes. Click on your state for more details.
In what is shaping up to be a turbulent election year, with voters disgusted with Congress and disenchanted with both major political parties, could term limits re-emerge as a salient issue? Advocates of limits on congressional service hope and expect so, and there is anecdotal evidence to suggest insurgent-minded candidates are talking about it.