Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
State Ballot Measure Monthly: July 2019
| 2019 U.S. state ballot measures | |
|---|---|
2020 »
« 2018
| |
 | |
| Overview | |
| Tuesday Count | |
| Scorecard | |
| Deadlines | |
| Requirements | |
| Lawsuits | |
| Readability | |
| Voter guides | |
| Election results | |
| Year-end analysis | |
| Campaigns | |
| Polls | |
| Media editorials | |
| Filed initiatives | |
| Finances | |
| Contributions | |
| Signature costs | |
| Ballot Measure Monthly | |
| Signature requirements | |
Have you subscribed yet?
Join the hundreds of thousands of readers trusting Ballotpedia to keep them up to date with the latest political news. Sign up for the Daily Brew.
| |
By Ballot Measures Project staff
This edition of the State Ballot Measure Monthly covers certifications and notable ballot measure news from June 16 through July 14. In that time, four statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot—three will be voted on Nov. 5. The other will appear on the 2020 ballot. Twenty-two statewide measures have been certified for the 2019 ballot so far. Thirty-seven measures have been approved for 2020.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of certifications in past years:
Odd-numbered years
- 2017: By the second Tuesday in July, 20 measures had been certified for the 2017 ballot.
- Ultimately, 27 statewide measures were on the ballot in 2017.
- 2015: By the second Tuesday in July, 21 measures had been certified for the 2015 ballot.
- Ultimately, 28 statewide measures were on the ballot in 2015.
- 2013: By the second Tuesday in July, 20 measures had been certified for the 2013 ballot.
- Ultimately, 31 statewide measures were on the ballot in 2013.
- 2011: By the second Tuesday in July, 25 measures had been certified for the 2011 ballot.
- Ultimately, 34 statewide measures were on the ballot in 2011.
The graph below shows the number of certifications in each week of 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017, as well as the average for each week. The graph also shows 2019 certifications and will be updated each week on Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count page until ballots are finalized for all states.
Even-numbered years
- At this point in the year from 2012 through 2018 election cycles, an average of 41 measures were certified for the next even-numbered year. From 2012 through 2018, an average of 169 measures were ultimately certified to appear on the general election ballot.
2019 certifications
From June 16, 2019, to July 14, 2019, three 2019 statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot:
June 18:
- Maine Question 2, Allow for Alternative Initiative Signatures for Persons with Disabilities Amendment (2019) - This amendment would authorize legislation allowing persons with physical disabilities that prevent them from signing their own names to use an alternative signature to sign petitions for citizen-initiated ballot measures. Maine's constitution currently requires people to sign petitions for citizen-initiated ballot measures with their original signature. The state constitution does not have a similar requirement for candidate petitions. The constitutional amendment was introduced as Legislative Document 1437 (LD 1437). On June 3, 2019, the state House approved LD 1437. On June 18, 2019, the state Senate approved LD 1437.
June 19:
- Pennsylvania Marsy's Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment (2019) - This amendment would add specific rights of crime victims, together known as a Marsy's Law, to the Pennsylvania Constitution. In Pennsylvania, a majority vote is required in two successive sessions of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. The state legislature approved the amendment unanimously in 2018. On June 20, 2019, the state House approved the amendment 190-8. The state Senate approved it unanimously on June 19, 2019. Marsy's Law is a type of crime victims' rights legislation. Twelve states have voted on Marsy's Law constitutional amendments, and voters approved each measure. The supreme courts of Kentucky and Montana or invalidated the amendments.
June 20:
- New Jersey Public Question 1, Property Tax Deduction for Veterans Extended to Continuing Care Retirement Communities Amendment (2019) - This amendment would extend an existing $250 property tax deduction that veterans receive to continuing care retirement centers on behalf of the veterans living there and require the retirement centers to pass the value of the deduction on to veterans in the form of credits or payments. The state legislature approved the amendment unanimously.
2020 certifications
From June 16, 2019, to July 14, 2019, one statewide ballot measure was certified for the 2020 ballot in Oregon:
June 30:
- Oregon Measure 107, Campaign Finance Limits Amendment (2020) - This amendment was referred to the 2020 ballot by the Oregon State Legislature. It would authorize the state legislature and local governments to (1) enact laws or ordinances limiting campaign contributions and expenditures; (2) require disclosure of contributions and expenditures; and (3) require that political advertisements identify the people or entities that paid for them. It was approved 22-5 in the state Senate and 43-11 in the state House. All 18 Democratic state senators voted in favor of the amendment. In the House, 36 of 38 Democrats voted for it, one voted against it, and one did not vote. Republicans were split on the amendment. Four Republican senators voted in favor, five against, and three did not vote. In the House, seven Republicans voted in favor of the amendment, 10 against it, and four did not vote. Currently, Oregon allows unlimited contributions to candidates and ballot measures
Proponents report collecting 1.5 million signatures for 2020 initiative to require Florida voters to be U.S. citizens
On July 11, 2019, Florida Citizen Voters announced having collected more than 1.5 million signatures to qualify its initiative for the 2020 ballot. To make the ballot, 766,200 valid signatures must be submitted and verified by February 1, 2020.
This measure would amend the Florida Constitution to state that only citizens of the United States are qualified electors in Florida.
- The state constitution as it presently exists: Every citizen of the United States who is at least eighteen years of age and who is a permanent resident of the state, if registered as provided by law, shall be an elector of the county where registered.
- The proposed change under the ballot measure: Only a citizen of the United States who is at least eighteen years of age and who is a permanent resident of the state, if registered as provided by law, shall be an elector of the county where registered.
A similar amendment is certified to appear on the ballot in Alabama in 2020.
Voters in North Dakota approved a similar measure in 2018.
Proponents submit signatures for Tucson sanctuary city initiative
On July 3, 2019, proponents of an initiative to make Tucson the first sanctuary city in Arizona submitted 18,155 unverified signatures to election officials. They needed to submit 9,241 valid signatures by July 5, 2019, to qualify the initiative for the November 5 ballot.
The initiative would add into the city code a declaration of the city's sanctuary status and add a new section to the code that includes provisions:
- restricting law enforcement officers from actions to determine a person's immigration status under certain conditions;
- prohibiting officers from contacting federal law enforcement agencies to determine a person's immigration status; and
- prohibiting city employees from inquiring about a person's immigration status, among other policies.
People's Defense Initiative (also referred to as Tucson Families Free and Together) sponsored the petition drive.
Ballotpedia’s August 2017 review of municipal immigration policies found that 32 of the nation's 100 largest cities by population self-identified as sanctuary cities or maintained sanctuary policies. As of 2017, 30 of the 32 cities identified as sanctuary jurisdictions had Democratic mayors. The other two had Republican mayors.
See also
- 2019 ballot measures
- 2020 ballot measures
- List of ballot measures by state
- List of ballot measures by year
- Ballot initiatives filed for the 2019 ballot
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2019
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2020
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2019
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2020
Related articles
Footnotes
| |||||
