January 2020

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January 15, 2020

By Ballot Measures Project staff

This edition of the State Ballot Measure Monthly covers certifications and a selection of notable ballot measure news from December 15, 2019, through January 14, 2020. So far, 52 statewide measures in 24 states have been certified for 2020. Seven statewide measures were certified for the ballot last month.

Number of certifications in past years:[edit]

• 2018: By the second week of January, 37 measures had been certified for the 2018 ballot.
  • Ultimately, 167 measures were on the ballot in 2018.
• 2016: By the second week of January, 52 measures had been certified for the 2016 ballot.
  • Ultimately, 162 measures were on the ballot in 2016.
• 2014: By the second week of January, 60 measures had been certified for the 2014 ballot.
  • Ultimately, 158 measures were on the ballot in 2014.
• 2012: By the second week of January, 62 measures had been certified for the 2012 ballot.
  • Ultimately, 188 measures were on the ballot in 2012.

2020 certifications[edit]

See also: Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2020 and Ballot measure petition deadlines and requirements, 2020

From December 15 to January 14, seven statewide measures were certified for the ballot:

December 16:

• New Jersey Public Question 1, Marijuana Legalization Amendment (2020) - This constitutional amendment would legalize the possession and use of marijuana for persons age 21 and older and legalize the cultivation, processing, and sale of retail marijuana. It was put on the ballot by meeting the 60% threshold (24 votes in the Senate, 48 votes in the House) in both legislative chambers of the New Jersey State Legislature required to put an amendment on the ballot in one legislative session. In the state Senate, the vote was 24-16. The state Assembly voted 49-24. This constitutional amendment is the first legalization measure that a state legislature has referred to voters. In Illinois and Vermont, the state legislatures passed bills to legalize marijuana. The other nine states (and D.C.) that have legalized marijuana did so through the ballot initiative process, in which campaigns collected signatures to place their issues before voters. There is no initiative process in New Jersey.

December 19:

• South Dakota Initiated Measure 26, Medical Marijuana Initiative (2020) - This initiative would establish a medical marijuana program in South Dakota for individuals with a debilitating medical condition as defined in the measure. New Approach South Dakota is behind the measure. Proponents gathered about 25,500 valid signatures in the initiative petition drive. To qualify the initiated state statute for the ballot, 16,961 signatures were required.

January 6:

• Colorado Proposition 114, Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative (2020) - This initiative would require the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to create a plan to reintroduce and manage gray wolves on designated lands west of the continental divide by the end of 2023. The Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund is behind the initiative. Proponents of the initiative submitted a projected 139,333 valid signatures. To qualify for the ballot, 124,632 signatures were required.
• South Dakota Constitutional Amendment A, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2020) - This constitutional amendment would legalize the recreational use of marijuana and require the Legislature to pass laws providing for the use of medical marijuana and the sale of hemp by April 1, 2022. South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws is behind the measure. Proponents of the initiative gathered a projected 139,333 valid signatures. To qualify the initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot, 33,921 signatures were required. South Dakota will be the first state to vote on recreational and medical marijuana at the same election.

January 7:

• Mississippi Ballot Measure 1, Initiative 65 and Alternative 65A, Medical Marijuana Amendment (2020) - This initiative would establish a medical marijuana program in Mississippi for individuals with a debilitating medical condition as defined in the measure. Proponents of the initiative submitted 105,686 valid signatures. To qualify the initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot, 86,185 signatures were required. Before going to the ballot, the initiative goes to the legislature. The legislature has four months to consider the measure. The measure will appear on the 2020 ballot regardless of whether the state legislature adopts, rejects, or ignores it. The legislature may also choose to approve an amended or alternative version of the measure. In this case, both the original and legislative alternative versions would appear on the ballot, giving voters the choice to reject both measures or approve one. The last time Mississippi voters had a citizen initiative on their ballots was in 2015. The 2015 measure concerned public school funding, and the legislature referred an alternative to the ballot alongside the original initiative. Voters rejected both.

January 9:

• Oklahoma State Question 802, Medicaid Expansion Initiative (June 2020) - This measure would expand Medicaid in Oklahoma under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. It would provide Medicaid coverage for certain low-income adults between 18 and 65 with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level. Because the ACA includes a 5% income disregard, this measure would effectively expand Medicaid to those with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. Proponents reported submitting 313,000 signatures on October 24, 2019. To qualify for the ballot, 177,958 valid signatures were required. Governor Kevin Stitt (R) will determine whether the measure will appear on the June 30 primary ballot or the November 3 general election ballot. In 2017, voters in Maine approved the first-ever ballot measure designed to expand Medicaid to persons under the age of 65 and with incomes equal to or below 138 percent of the federal poverty line. In 2018, voters in five states decided initiatives concerning Medicaid expansion or the funding of Medicaid expansion. The Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon, and Utah measures were approved, and two were later altered by the state legislatures. Montana's initiative, which included a tobacco tax increase, was defeated.

January 14:

• New Jersey Remove Wartime Service Requirement for Veterans to Receive Property Tax Deduction Amendment (2020) - This constitutional amendment would make veterans who did not serve during wartime eligible for a $250 property tax deduction. Currently, the tax deduction is provided to veterans who did serve during wartime. Both chambers of the New Jersey State Legislature unanimously approved the amendment on January 14. Veterans’ property tax deductions and exemptions were first added to the New Jersey Constitution in 1947. Between 1947 and 2019, voters decided and approved seven ballot measures to amend the constitutional provision governing veterans’ property tax deductions and exemptions.

See also[edit]

• 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[edit]

• The Tuesday Count

Footnotes[edit]