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State Ballot Measure Monthly: January 2016
From Ballotpedia
| Ballot Measure Monthly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2016 Measures | |
| Total certified | 157 |
| Total proposed | 1,000+ |
Five statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in January. Therefore, at the end of January, the total count for ballot measures in 2016 stood at 52. This number is down from the 63 measures that were certified by this time in 2014. By the end of January, at least one signature filing deadline had passed in six states.
January certifications and news
- South Dakota Constitutional Amendment U : Amendment U, which was certified for the ballot on January 4, 2016, seeks to limit the ability to set statutory interest rates for loans.[1] If approved by voters in November, the measure would cap interest rates in South Dakota at 18 percent annually but allow for higher ones upon the borrower's agreement. Amendment U was proposed and certified after Initiated Measure 21. Both measures are citizen initiatives; however, Initiated Measure 21 is seeking to place an interest rate cap of 36 percent on short-term loans.[2][3][4]
- South Dakota Initiated Measure 22: January 8, 2016, saw the certification of a second South Dakota ballot measure, Initiated Measure 22. This initiated state statute would extensively revise state campaign finance and lobbying laws by, among other actions, requiring additional disclosures and increased reporting, as well as lowering contribution amounts to political action committees, political parties, and candidates. It would also create a "publicly funded campaign finance program, an ethics commission and appropriate funds."[1]
- South Dakota Constitutional Amendment V: A third South Dakota ballot measure, Amendment V, would establish nonpartisan elections in the state "for all federal, state and county elective offices except for the election of President and Vice President of the United States." Supporters needed to collect at least 27,740 valid signatures by the November 9, 2015, deadline. The sponsor of the petition confirmed that 39,182 signatures were submitted, and the secretary of state certified the measure on January 8, 2016.[1][1]
- Nevada Public Question 2: The New Jersey Gas Tax Amendment was certified for the November 2016 ballot on January 11, 2016. If approved by voters, the measure would dedicate all revenue from gas taxes to transportation projects. The majority of New Jersey's gas taxes are currently already dedicated to transportation projects, but about $40 million each year is not. Currently, the full 10.5 cent tax on unleaded gasoline and 10.5 cents of the 13.5 cent tax on diesel fuel is appropriated for transportation projects. The three cents not used for transportation projects results in about $25 million every year that is supposed to be spent on transportation as well but is not required for that use under the constitution. An additional $15 million is collected each year from petroleum products gross tax receipts, which is not currently dedicated to transportation projects.[5]
- South Dakota Initiated Measure 23: Initiated Measure 23 was approved for the ballot on January 19, 2016. If approved by voters, the measure would give corporate organizations and nonprofit organizations the right to charge a fee for any service provided. Since 1947, South Dakota has been a right-to-work state, which means employees can choose whether or not they want to join a union. Under the proposed measure, workers would still be allowed to opt out of joining unions, but non-union employees could be subject to fees for representation. The measure could rekindle a debate over the state's right-to-work law.[6][1]
See also
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2016
- 2016 ballot measures
- Potential 2016 ballot measures
- Local ballot measure elections in 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 South Dakota Secretary of State, "Initiative petition," accessed December 8, 2015 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "initiative" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "initiative" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "initiative" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "initiative" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ The Argus Leader, "Payday loans could cease in South Dakota," December 14, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Bipartisan team aims to curb South Dakota's payday lending industry," December 15, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Short-term lender gives $1.7M for SD interest rate amendment," February 2, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "N.J. voters to decide if all gas tax dollars go to road projects," January 11, 2016
- ↑ The Argus Leader, "Ballot measure could rekindle right-to-work debate," September 8, 2015
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