The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 24, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

As voters turn to ballot initiatives to bypass extreme legislatures, legislatures are manipulating initiative rules to protect their partisan power.  Expect more such attacks on direct democracy in 2025.

In 2024 alone, 10 reproductive rights measures qualified for the ballot, with only two failing, in Nebraska, and Florida.  Another passed in Ohio in 2023.   

Not willing to let extreme agendas get overridden by those pesky voters, legislatures are trying to de-fang direct democracy by trying to raise constitutional amendment thresholds to 60% or higher, and requiring minimum numbers of qualifying signatures from each county, rather than a statewide percentage. To keep Ohio voters from passing abortion protections in 2023, the legislature proposed a 60% threshold, using a low-turnout August special election it had deemed too expensive to run.  It lost, and abortion rights prevailed four months later.   In 2024, the Ohio Secretary of State helped derail a citizen-led redistricting measure by rewriting its ballot description to mislead voters.

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center reports there were three 2024 measures attacking direct democracy.  Arizonans voted down a measure requiring minimum signatures from every county, and another allowing a pre-election litigation on measures.  North Dakota would have raised the signatures required, and winning both a primary AND a general election.  It, too, failed.    

Expect more such attacks on direct democracy in 2025.  Find more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2023) Ohio Legislature Forcing Through Restoration of Aug. 8th Election to Pass Hurdles for Citizen Ballot Initiatives & Block Potential Abortion Rights Measure
American Democracy Minute – (2023) Ohio Voters Defeat Republican Effort to Raise Citizen Ballot Initiative Passage to 60% in Pro-Voter Victory
Route 50 – States look to rein in ballot initiatives with more ballot initiatives
The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center – 2024 Election Results

KFF – Outcome of Abortion-Related State Constitutional Amendment Measures in the 2024 Election
Reuters – Florida, two other states defy trend and vote down abortion rights
State Court Report – Direct Democracy Under Attack 

Groups Taking Action:

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, League of Women Voters US, Common Cause US

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #DirectDemocracy #FreedomtoVote #WethePeople

The post Citizen Ballot Initiatives Help Voters Bypass Extreme Legislatures.  But Expect More Attempts to Block Those Initiatives in 2025 appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 11, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

In an election with few bright spots for democracy, Amendment 6, a repeal of Florida’s public funding of elections option, failed to reach its 60% constitutional threshold, with voters evenly split.  Such small donor matching systems help candidates outside the political machine structure to compete, and can help limit special interest influence.

Voters passed a 1998 constitutional amendment creating a “method of public financing for campaigns for state-wide office” and affirmed it again in 2010.    Gubernatorial candidates must raise $150,000 dollars in $250 dollar amounts, which the state matches 2 to 1, or 1 to 1 above the threshold.   The matching threshold for cabinet candidates is $100,000.

Taking public money also requires adherence to spending limits, which in 2022 were over $30.28 Million for governor or lieutenant governor, about $2.00 per registered voter.  For attorney general and other cabinet offices, the cost was about $1.00 per voter.   The Miami Herald reports that since 2010, $33 Million in matching campaign funding has been spent.   

Florida raised its ballot initiative threshold to 60% in 2006, and recently red states have raised thresholds to prevent enshrinement of reproductive rights.  A Nov. 5th abortion rights amendment just missed passing with 57% support. 

Find more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

BallotPedia – Florida Amendment 6, Repeal of Public Financing for Statewide Campaigns Amendment (2024)
Florida Phoenix – Do FL voters want to repeal public financing of statewide elections for governor, Cabinet members?
Florida Div. of Elections – 2022 Public Campaign Financing Matching Funds Handbook
Florida Div. of Elections – Public Campaign Finance – Matching Funds Program
Florida Phoenix –  Abortion funds carry on despite Amendment 4 loss
Brennan Center for Justice – Small Donor Public Financing Explained

Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause Florida, League of Women Voters FL, Equal Ground

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
  
  

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Amendment6 #Florida #CampaignFinance

The post Florida Voters Retain Public Funding of Elections, as Amendment 6 Repeal Fails to Reach 60% Constitutional Threshold  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 10, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

Ohio Voters Defeat Republican Effort to Raise Citizen Ballot Initiative Passage to 60% in Victory for Direct Democracy

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

With an unofficial 57% to 43% margin, Ohio voters soundly defeated the effort by the Republican-majority legislature to raise the threshold for passage of citizen ballot initiatives.  Issue one would have also required minimum numbers of qualifying signatures in 88 counties rather than the current 44.  

Almost 700,000 citizens voted early, and just over 3 million votes were cast out of just under 8 million registered voters, 38.5%.  Turnout for last year’s primary election was 52%.  Still, the legislature’s tactic to slip Issue 1 past voters in  a historically low-turnout August election failed, with heavy turnout around Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, according to the Associated Press. 

With the 50% + 1 threshold preserved, voters now consider the “Ohio Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Initiative, which has already gathered the signatures necessary to qualify for the ballot.   A USA Today/Suffolk University poll suggests that 58% of Ohioans support the November initiative.  

Ohio will be the seventh state to consider a referendum on abortion rights.  California, Vermont & Michigan enshrined reproductive freedom in their constitutions, while voters in Kansas, Kentucky and Montana defeated efforts to limit abortions in THEIR states.

We have links to details on Issue 1’s defeat and groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Politico – (2022) Republicans look to restrict ballot measures following a string of progressive wins
Ohio Secretary of State – Aug. 8 Special Election Results on Issue 1
Associated Press – Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights
CNBC – Ohio voters reject GOP effort to cripple abortion rights amendment
BallotPedia – 2022 abortion-related ballot measures
BallotPedia – Ohio Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative (2023)

Groups Taking Action:
One Person One Vote, Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, Ohio Citizen Action, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, All Voting is Local

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE! 
Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org
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Democracy  #DemocracyNews #DirectDemocracy #OnePersonOneVote

The post Ohio Voters Defeat Republican Effort to Raise Citizen Ballot Initiative Passage to 60% in Pro-Voter Victory appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 2, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Early voting for Ohio’s Aug. 8th special election is robust, as voters consider raising the threshold for a ballot initiative to win to a 60% margin.   At stake in Issue 1 is a 112-year-old precedent of a 50%+ 1 simple majority rule  — and an attempt to derail a reproductive freedom ballot question slated for November’s election.

The Ohio Capital Journal reports that in a televised debate last week, the 60% supermajority was defended by no less than Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a highly irregular action for a chief elections officer.

While Issue 1 isn’t directly about abortion rights, the Secretary of State’s office said last week the coalition collecting signatures for the reproductive rights ballot question exceeded the needed signatures among 44 counties.  In addition to a 60% margin, Issue 1 would require FUTURE initiatives to collect signatures in all 88 Ohio counties. 

Although the deadline passes Aug. 1st to request & mail an absentee ballot, early voting at election centers continues August 2nd to the 4th, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., August 5th, 8 to 4, and August 6th, 1 to  5.  August 8th, polls will be open 6:30 AM to 7:30 p.m.

We have links to articles about Issue 1, and details on when, how and where to vote in Ohio at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
BallotPedia – Ohio Issue 1, 60% Vote Requirement to Approve Constitutional Amendments Measure (2023)
Ohio Capital Journal – Early vote figures continue their tear in Ohio’s August special election
Ohio Capital Journal – Issue 1 debate brings the fight over how to amend Ohio’s constitution statewide
Ohio Capital Journal – (Opinion) Author of book on Ohio Constitution warns against Issue 1 changing 111 years of Ohio voter power
Ohio Capital Journal – Ohio abortion rights amendment headed for November ballot
Columbus Dispatch – Tuesday is the deadline for mail-in ballot requests for Aug. 8 election.

Ohio Secretary of State – Voting Dates & Times for Aug. 8th Special Election
WOSU – Ohio voter guide: What to know about the August special election
Ohio Secretary of State – Find My Polling Place Tool

Groups Taking Action:
One Person One Vote, Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, Ohio Citizen Action, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, All Voting is Local

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE! 
Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org
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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #OhioPolitics #OnePersonOneVote

The post Aug. 8 Referendum Changing Ohio’s Threshold for a Ballot Initiative to Win Holds a 112-Year-Old Precedent and Reproductive Rights in the Balance appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for May 16, 2023

Since this broadcast, the Ohio legislature has passed a state constitutional amendment and a bill re-establishing an August date for a special election in hopes of pushing through its 60% margin for approval of a citizen ballot initiative. Brian Beihl will return with new episodes on Wednesday.

The post Rebroadcast from March 10, 2023: State Legislatures Attempting to Limit Voter Power by Making Citizen Ballot Initiatives Harder to Win appeared first on American Democracy Minute.