Republicans aim to weaken ballot measure process after progressive victories
(Salon) Already in 2023, Republican-controlled legislatures across the country have re-doubled their efforts to restrict the democratic process.
In Missouri, House Republicans passed a bill that would require 60% support to approve voter-initiated constitutional amendments, rather than a simple majority. Florida Republicans have introduced a bill to further raise the threshold to pass constitutional amendments from 60% to nearly 67%. And Ohio Republicans seek to not only require a 60% threshold to pass constitutional amendments, up from 50% — but also require petition signatures from all 88 Ohio counties instead of the current requirement of 44 counties.
The Republican assault on direct democracy is a predictable reaction to major progressive ballot measure victories across the country last year. Although activists have used the ballot measure process for decades, the 2022 elections showed that people across the country are beginning to realize its power. This was especially true for the reproductive rights movement.
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year, six states considered measures related to abortion rights. And, in all six — Kansas, California, Kentucky, Montana, Michigan, and Vermont — voters sided with the right to choose. Perhaps no state did so more defiantly than Kansas, where voters, by an 18-point margin, rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have eliminated the right to an abortion. ........ (more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/03/15/aim-to-weaken-ballot-measure-process-after-progressive-victories/
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