Virginia
Portsmouth Mayor James Holley has been given until next Friday to resign his position, finding that a recall petition with nearly 9,000 signatures was sufficient to trigger a recall election.
A group of citizens have turned in nearly 9,000 signatures - in a city of just over 100,000 residents - for the recall of Mayor James Holley.
We’ve previously blogged about the attempts out in Washington state to make public the names and information of citizens who sign petitions. Unfortunately, that may be happening here in Northern Virginia as well. This article in the Sun Gazette newspaper explains how in Arlington, VA the petition signatures are public record if requested.
Never short on examples of the many attempts around the country to take away the 
peoples’ right to initiative and referendum by gutting the process, Norfolk, VA residents narrowly escaped a doubling of the signature requirement to put measures on the city ballot Wednesday. Thanks to the strong opposition shown by tho
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.
A couple of weeks ago we interviewed Virginia citizens outside a townhall in Reston, VA. There was a lot of support from both sides of the aisle for bringing the process to the state and giving citizens more of a voice. So why don’t Virginia citizens have initiative & referendum rights? Let’s take a look at the history…
Proponents of creating a housing and redevelopment authority in Arlington County are planning to appeal a judge’s ruling that struck down their proposal for a ballot referendum in November, prolonging and escalating a battle over affordable housing that dates back several decades.
Contact the Citizen State Coordinator in your state to get involved protecting and expanding the initiative and referendum process. If you don’t see a Coordinator listed for your state, click here to apply.
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National Citizen Coordinator - Greg Schmid
Click here to email Greg.
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Arizona - Eric Ehst
Click here to email Eric
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California - Bruce Cohen
Click here to email Bruce
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Grassroots Director Brandon Holmes provides a new update on what local activists are doing to protect and expand the ballot initiative process throughout the nation.
Augusta County residents have mounted an effort to recall five county supervisors who voted to approve unpopular tax assessments. Virginia does not have a traditional recall process, and signatures will go before a judge who will determine if the supervisors have been derelict in their duties. Recall leaders will have to collect signatures of 10% of the voters who voted in the original supervisors election.
Agusta County residents are petition the Board of Supervisors to relieve new tax assesments, some of which have gone up as much as 400 percent. Petition organizers say that if county supervisors ignore their petition they will take the matter to court.
Citizens in Charge is calling on Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to sign HB 2465/ SB 1394 into law. HB 2465/SB 1394 would protect citizens who petition for removal of a public official from arbitrary sanctions and technical dismissals. The legislation is a response to the case of several Gloucester citizens who were fined $80,000 in legal fees after their attempt to remove several officials was thrown out on a technicality.
Citizens in Charge Foundation has named Virginia Delegate Harvey B. Morgan as the February “Lilburne Award.” Morgan is honored for his work to preserve the rights of Virginia citizens to petition their government and voice their opinions, unafraid of repercussions.
Earlier this month Citizens in Charge sent out an action alert about Virginia HB 2642 which contained a provision that would have banned payment of petition circulators by signature. A similar ban in Ohio was struck down as unconstitutional by the 6th Circuit Court of appeals, and the Supreme Court denied the state’s appeal in this case. Thanks to activists taking charge by standing up and informing legislators of the constitutional problems associated with the ban, the provision was struck from the bill by a Senate committee earlier this week.