Citizens in Charge

On October 13th, the CATO Institute will host a forum featuring former campaign manager for the 2000 Ralph Nader for President campaign and author, Theresa Amato, and author and professor James T. Bennett.

They will be disussing ballot access for third-party and Independent candidates and how the system is setup to keep them out.

Part II of our “What’s on the Ballot in 2009” video with Paul Jacob is up on our Youtube page.  This video discusses what is on the ballot in Ohio and Washington.  You can check out the video here.

We have a new video up on our Youtube page with President Paul Jacob discussing the different measures on the ballot in 2009.

This is part one of the interview, the second part will be up shortly.  You can check out the video here.

Just for kicks let’s see what Citizens in Charge Foundation President Paul Jacob was writing about last year on this date.

His Common Sense article for September 25, 2008, is titled, “Letting Citizens Vote.” In the middle of a heated presidential election year he discussed a novel idea from one Congressman. Check out the article here.

Next week the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to announce whether it will hear a First Amendment challenge to a Colorado law that requires groups to register with the government and reveal their donors if they take positions on ballot measures. The law applies not just to groups that are established to support or oppose initiatives but also to any organization that has “a major purpose” of doing so.

There’s a good blog post over at Reason Online outlining the U.S. Supreme Court and a case coming out of Colorado.  A law passed in Colorado requires any group that takes a position one way or the other on a ballot measure must register with the government and provide information on their donors.  The U.S. Supreme Court will decide next week whether or not to hear the case.  You can check out the blog post here.

 

The fight continues in Washington state over I-1033 and its placement on the November 2009 ballot.  The measure would limit state, county and city revenue increases, thereby saving the state’s residents from more tax increases.

One of the many great things that came out of August’s townhall meetings, were all the great reasons to support the right of citizens to recall their elected officials.

Citizens in Charge President Paul Jacob outlined a number of these great advertisements for recall rights in his recent Common Sense article, “Cuz You Constituents Work For Me”.

Several states –including Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming – ban or restrict paying people who collect signatures on a ballot initiative, referendum or recall petition based on the number of signatures they collect. Payment-per-signature allows citizens greater certainty in judging the cost of a petition effort. Moreover, in states that have passed such bans, the cost of successfully completing a petition drive has risen considerably, sometimes more than doubling.

Today, September 17th, marks the anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution back in 1787. It was signed by 37 men including: George Washington, George Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. The U.S. Constitution was written and signed in Philadelphia, PA at the Federal Convention, and it is the shortest and oldest constitution in the world today.

The streets of Washington, DC are lined with the offices of non-profits, advocacy groups, and other organizations. Most people who live, work, or travel in DC probably don’t even notice when they go past the Heritage Foundation or the Brookings Institution, much less wonder about what those organizations do. With our offices nestled among those of orthodontists, architects and insurance agencies 25 miles outside of the District in Lake Ridge, VA,  Citizens in Charge Foundation doesn’t always fall so far under the radar.

Most restrictions placed on the citizen initiative process by state legislators are vulnerable to federal court challenge on First Amendment grounds. Citizens in Charge Foundation will launch a national campaign to roll-back unconstitutional provisions of state law holding back citizen use of initiatives, referendums and recalls.

As the only national organization dedicated to protecting the process, Citizens in Charge Foundation will triage the nation’s petition regulations to determine the most important challenges.

While voters are increasingly turning to initiatives to make needed reforms, elected officials often are seeking to impose limitations on the process.

Sky-high public support for initiative and referendum promises numerous opportunities to protect and expand the process. Consequently, Citizens in Charge Foundation is building a state-by-state grassroots network across the country, which educates voters on attempts to restrict their First Amendment rights and mobilizes the reservoir of public opposition against these restrictions.

The process of initiative and referendum is critical if we are to shift power back into the hands of ordinary citizens. For years, politicians and special interests have attacked the citizen initiative and referendum process with impunity. Their goal: to undermine the most powerful tool citizens possess for restoring accountable government. Now, through the Citizens in Charge Foundation, the people are fighting to protect their rights at the ballot box.