The Tuesday Count: Dust continues to settle after 2014 election

December 16, 2014

Edited by Brittany Clingen

In Oregon and Washington D.C., the dust is still settling from the results of the 2014 election. Meanwhile, Phoenix is the latest locale to discuss potentially featuring a repeat topic on an upcoming ballot. Supporters are seeking to land pension reform on the ballot for the third time in as many years.

Oregon GMO measure officially defeated after recount, lawsuit:
After a record-breaking campaign, a painstaking recount and a lawsuit, Oregon's Measure 92 has been officially declared defeated. The measure, which sought to mandate the labeling of food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), set a new record for the most money raised by one side of a ballot measure campaign, with the opposing side raising over $20 million. It also became the most expensive measure in the history of the state, surpassing a defeated 2007 measure's record of $16 million by bringing in more than $32.1 million from support and opposition groups.

Because the measure was defeated by a mere 802 votes on election day, a recount was held, as the margin of defeat was less than the 0.2 percent threshold that automatically triggers a recount under Oregon law. As the recount neared its conclusion, it became clear that the margin of defeat was not going to change significantly. Supporters of the measure subsequently filed a lawsuit challenging the method used by elections officials to ensure signatures on ballot measure envelopes were not fraudulent. The lawsuit attempted to force officials to count 4,600 ballots that were disqualified because "signatures on the vote-by-mail envelopes didn’t match those on registration cards." The lawsuit also sought to prevent the certification of the election results. A judge decided not to halt the recount, and supporters ultimately conceded defeat. It marked the fourth time in three years that a GMO labeling measure was defeated at the ballot box, with similar measures receiving a thumbs-down from voters in California, Washington and Colorado.

California signature requirement threshold plummets:
Ballot measure experts speculate that California's 2016 ballot may have even more initiatives than usual due to the newly established and remarkably low signature requirements. In California, a state notorious for its robust ballots, the number of signatures needed to qualify a measure for the ballot is based on the total number of votes cast for the office of governor. For initiated constitutional amendments, petitioners must collect signatures equal to 8 percent of the most recent gubernatorial vote. To place a statute or veto referendum on the ballot, signatures equal to 5 percent of this vote are required. Due to the especially low voter turnout - only 42.2 percent of registered voters cast ballots during the 2014 general election - the signature thresholds for ballot measures will be lower than they have been in the past several years. For example, in 2012 and 2014, a minimum of 504,760 valid signatures were required to land initiated state statutes on the ballot. That number will drop to just 370,000 for the next few years.

Local spotlight

Phoenix residents may vote on pension reform for the third time in three years:

In the wake of the decisive defeat of Proposition 487, seeking to completely transform the Phoenix pension system, Mayor Greg Stanton created a Civilian Retirement Security Ad Hoc Committee to suggest other ways of reforming city pensions. The committee was formed with the intention of putting another reform bill before voters in the spring of 2015.

Before any concrete proposals were announced, however, the committee came under fire from both sides of the pension debate. Scot Mussi, director of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, which supported Prop. 487, expressed concern that the committee excluded strong fiscal conservatives. He said, "You need to have people on there who first and foremost are going to be looking out for the taxpayers. It doesn't seem like it's very balanced." But Frank Piccioli, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2960, isn't happy with the chosen committee members either. He said, "I think the major concern is that we aren't included in the process. Because it affects us, we should be involved. We want something reasonable, of course." Mayor Stanton responded, "One thing that I have learned in leadership is to wait and see what the recommendation is before you start criticizing it. I guess I'll let them live with their preconceived conclusions."

D.C. officials plan to ignore Congress bill blocking funds for marijuana legalization and "make them work for it:"

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) stated that he will ignore a bill passed by Congress, which has incited protests, prohibiting funding to "enact" Initiative 71 or any city marijuana legalization or decriminalization efforts. He plans to follow regular protocol, submitting an implementation proposal to Congress in January. Congress will then have a 30-day review period, during which the lawmakers can repeal the proposal or let it stand. City advocates say that since Congress must, according to law, take action to repeal Initiative 71, the initiative has already been "enacted," making the budget rider blocking funds impotent.

Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) said, “Should we accept that it was already struck down, or should we make them work for it?” Agreeing with Mendelson's plan, she continued, “The question is, what should the District’s posture now be... and it’s absolutely continue the fight. Adopt your own interpretation of what the language means and put the burden on them to strike it down. Do not acquiesce.”

Other measures in the news

• Tennessee Amendment 1, No State Constitutional Right to Abortion and Legislative Power to Regulate Abortion Amendment (2014): A lawsuit erupts over the results of Amendment 1's signature count.
• Mississippi Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2016): A petition drive for marijuana legalization will initiate on December 17, 2014.
• California Proposition 67, Plastic Bag Ban Veto Referendum (2016): Plastic bag ban supporters file a complaint against referendum proponents, claiming they're misleading voters.

See also

2014 ballot measures

Tuesday Count • 2014 Scorecard

• Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2014
• 2014 ballot measures
• Local ballot measure elections in 2014