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Daily Brew: February 28, 2019

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February 28, 2019

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Today's Brew highlights proposed changes to the initiative and referendum process in 2019 + Republican flips of two state legislative seats in special elections in Connecticut  
The Daily Brew

Welcome to the Thursday, February 28 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. State legislators evaluating initiative and referendum process changes in 2019
  2. Republicans gain two seats in Connecticut state legislative special elections
  3. Subscribe to our newest newsletter, The Disclosure Digest

Tomorrow, Dave will start delivering you the Brew. Today, I’m signing off with a story you won’t find anywhere else on the initiative and referendum process changes that might be heading your way in 2019. Dave will pick it up tomorrow to end your week with some important news from the Midwest. I've sent 169 total brews and I've enjoyed every minute of engaging with our readers. I’m leaving you in very capable hands. (And you can still reach me here at Ballotpedia, whenever you need.)

Have a great morning!

-Sarah

State legislators evaluating initiative and referendum process changes in 2019

As voters decide an increasing number of citizen-initiated ballot measures, state legislators are devoting increased attention to the process that governs them. This includes how measures get on the ballot, determining the rules for support and opposition campaigns, the requirements for approval of such measures, and other elements of the initiative process.

In 2016 and 2018, citizen-initiatives were more prominent than they had been in recent election cycles. Voters decided nearly 150 issues over the last three years through initiative and veto referendum signature petitions. More than 200 other statewide ballot measures were sent to voters in the last three years by state legislatures or automatically referred by state laws.

In 2018, Ballotpedia tracked 203 bills related to ballot measures and recall in 34 states. Of those, 34 were approved, 140 were rejected or abandoned, and nine were carried over to 2019. The most significant proposals were passed in Michigan and South Dakota.

  • Michigan adopted a distribution requirement for initiative signature petitions in Michigan limiting the number of signatures collected in any one congressional district to 15 percent of the total required. The law also added disclosure and other requirements related to initiative petitioners.
     
  • South Dakota passed several laws regarding signature gatherers, petition circulators, deadlines for the submission of ballot initiatives, and campaign finance requirements for groups for and against ballot measures, among other things.

In state legislative sessions so far in 2019, 122 legislative proposals concerning ballot initiatives, veto referendums, legislative referrals, local ballot measures, and officeholder recall have been introduced in 30 states. Two initiatives directly related to initiative and referendum laws were also filed in Missouri and South Dakota targeting the 2020 ballot.

Here are some of these proposals:

  • Laws concerning total signature requirements for initiatives and veto referendums or recalls were introduced in five states; in Missouri and Utah, the bills were designed to increase the total number of signatures required for citizen initiatives.
     
  • Proposed laws concerning distribution requirements for signature gathering were introduced in Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, and Montana.
     
  • Pay-per-signature bans for petitions were introduced in Maine and Massachusetts.
     
  • In Oregon, a bill to restrict legislative alteration of future initiatives was introduced.
     
  • Legislation to increase the supermajority requirement or impose additional vote requirements was introduced in Florida, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Washington.
     
  • In Missouri, a citizen initiative was filed to prevent state residency requirements, pay-per-signature restrictions, and initiative filing fees. It would also require voter approval for any changes to the initiative and referendum process and establish a system for electronic signatures. Two bills designed to enact initiative filing fees, among other provisions, were introduced in Missouri's 2019 legislative session.
     
  • In South Dakota, an initiative to roll back some changes made in 2018 was filed.
     
  • Proposals were introduced in nine states to establish a process for ballot initiatives, veto referendums, recalls, or some combination of the three.
    • 26 states have some form of initiative or veto referendum process. The last state to establish a process for initiatives was Mississippi in 1992.
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Republicans gain two seats in Connecticut state legislative special elections

Five special elections were held in Connecticut on Tuesday to fill vacancies in the state legislature – three in the state Senate and two in the state House of Representatives. All five seats were vacated by Democrats who joined Gov. Ned Lamont's (D) administration.

Two of these five special elections flipped control of these seats from Democratic to Republican, one in each chamber.

In Senate District 6, Gennaro Bizzarro (R) defeated state Rep. Rick Lopes (D) with 53.0 percent of the vote. The previous incumbent in the district, Terry Gerrantana (D), won re-election in 2018 and 2016 with 62.6 and 64.6 percent of the vote, respectively.

In House District 99, Joseph Zullo (R) defeated Josh Balter (D) with 54.1 percent of the vote. James Albis (D) represented the district prior to his resignation in January. He won re-election in 2018 with 58.2 percent of the vote and was re-elected in 2016 by just 11 votes out of 10,000 ballots cast in 2016.

So far in 2019 three seats have flipped as a result of state legislative special elections, with all of them going from Democratic to Republican control. In 2018, 16 seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections. Twelve seats flipped from Republican to Democratic control while four seats flipped from Democratic to Republican control.

Forty-three state legislative special elections have been scheduled or held in 17 states so far in 2019. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 such special elections were held each year. In the four odd-numbered years during that period, an average of 91 state legislative special elections have taken place each year. From 2011 through 2018, an average of 11 seats flipped party control each year. During this time, 49 seats flipped control to Democrats, 35 flipped to Republicans, and four were flipped by independent candidates from either of the two major parties.

After Tuesday's special elections, the partisan balance of the Connecticut State Senate now stands at 22 Democrats and 14 Republicans, while the Connecticut House of Representatives has 91 Democrats and 60 Republicans. Connecticut is currently a Democratic state government trifecta.

Subscribe to our newest newsletter, The Disclosure Digest

On Monday, Ballotpedia published the inaugural edition of our newest weekly newsletter, The Disclosure Digest. Each edition highlights noteworthy legislation, pending litigation, and major activity by advocacy groups related to donor disclosure policy and campaign finance requirements.

This week’s edition described the introduction of HR1 in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill would make changes to federal election laws, ethics laws, and campaign finance disclosure requirements, including establishing donor disclosure requirements for covered organizations making campaign-related disbursements equaling or exceeding $10,000 total in an election cycle.

We include charts noting the number of donor disclosure bills by state introduced in 2019, as well as the status and party affiliation of the sponsors of such legislation. This edition also included a summary of recent state legislative action taking place on relevant bills.

Each week, Ballotpedia will outline state policies and identify trends in order to keep you up-to-date on this fascinating area of political spending. The weekly newsletter will arrive on Monday afternoons. Stay informed by subscribing to this newsletter using the link below.


See also

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