term limits

Three of the five measures that are likely to be on the November 4th ballot are polling with different degrees of voter support, according to a new battery of surveys from Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College.

The new polling of 2,075 likely Arkansas voters was conducted on Wednesday, Oct. 15 and Thursday, Oct. 16. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.2% and includes live cell phone calls and automated landline respondents.

In the last week, calls for citizens to have the right to initiative and referendum have been heard loud and clear in New Jersey and South Carolina.

In tackling the issue of marijuana legalization, New Jersey Star Ledger columnist Paul Mulshine longs for a way voters can decide, writing “if only we had I&R here in New Jersey.”

He’s not sure Colorado voters got it right in legalizing pot, but notes, “Polls show Coloradans are evenly divided on legalization - as are New Jersey voters. The difference is that there they can gather signatures to reverse it if they so desire. Here we’re stuck with whatever the politicians hand us.”

Term limits deter corruption

Tue, Oct 14 2014 — Source: The Post and Courier

Insiders say more political scandal is in the offing, according to a Thursday story by Statehouse reporter Jeremy Borden. Swapping votes for judges and the misuse of so-called Super PAC money were among the possibilities cited in Mr. Borden’s article.

Our reporter was assured by one lawmaker that if there is wrongdoing, it won’t be on the scale of Lost Trust, the vote-buying scandal in the early ’90s.

But we’d feel more relief if it were a federal prosecutor providing that assurance.

A proposed amendment to the Illinois Constitution to impose term limits on lawmakers apparently has enough valid signatures to appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Rupert Borsgmiller, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said Monday that a preliminary review of petitions filed by the Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits showed that about 60 percent of the signatures on the petitions are valid.

More bad news: Couch also e-mails me that SJR 16, the amendment meant to cripple grassroots petition campaigns ”” think medical marijuana, ethics, casinos, gas severance taxes ”” also won committee approval this morning.

 

Read the rest: Here

Undemocratic New York City?

Mon, Jul 18 2011 by Staff

Progressive columnist Randy Shaw recently offered New York City as an example of the protections that come from a healthy process of initiative and referendum (emphasis mine):

Akron, Ohio mayor Don Plusquellic, who has been in office for over two decades, survived a recall election last month by a wide margin. Recall supporters had accused the mayor of playing fast and loose with the taxpayers’ money, ethics violations, and questionable campaign financing amongst other things.

Nothing to Brag About

Mon, Jul 13 2009 by Staff

A recent editorial in Salt Lake City’s Deseret News takes a shot at California’s much-maligned initiative process, claiming Utah’s highly restricted ballot initiative process to be superior. Much of the blame for California’s current financial woes has been misdirected at the state’s ballot initiative process, and the historic Proposition 13 property tax limitation in particular.

A university student has launched a petition drive to limit members of the Rancho Santa Margarita city council to two terms. Currently council members can serve an unlimited number of four-year terms.

Read the story from the Orange County Register

Last month California voters weighed in on - and largely rejected - a series of ballot measures that lawmakers claimed would fix the state’s budget. Among those rejected was Proposition 1B which would have funneled $7.1 billion to school funding. Even though the plan was rejected by 2/3 of voters, it looks like the state legislature wants to go ahead and do it anyway.

A group of Marshall citizens began a petition drive to put term limits for city officials to a vote of the people. Residents decided to use the ballot initiative process after the city council voted not to put the matter on the ballot. The proposed charter amendment will need 731 signatures to make the 2010 ballot.

Read the story from the Marshall News Messenger

Supporters of a ballot initiative that would limit all statewide office holders to 2 four-year terms have began collecting signatures. They hope to place the measure on the November 2010 ballot.

Read the story from the Joplin Independent

Denver’s KBDI Channel 12 today broadcasted an interview with Paul Jacob, President of Citizens in Charge Foundation, discussing the ballot initiative and referendum (I&R) process. Host Jon Caldera of the Independence Institute asked Jacob questions on reforming the I&R process, its affects on voters and public policy.