Latest news with #ballot measure
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newsom says special election on California redistricting planned for November
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Friday they were moving forward with plans to hold a special election in November for voters to approve a ballot measure that would ultimately allow Democrats to pass a new House map ahead of 2026. 'We have till Aug. 22. With the leadership behind me, they will get this on the ballot. We're calling for a special election, that will be the first week of November,' Newsom said. The governor — flanked by several California lawmakers, as well as Texas Democrats who fled their state — said they did not want to eliminate the independent redistricting commission in charge of drawing the map. 'We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what's happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas,' Newsom vowed. The move comes in response to Texas Republicans who are looking to create five pickup opportunities in a new House map. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the chair of the California Democratic congressional delegation, said Democrats found they could create a new House map that would allow the party to pick up five additional seats next year while also not running afoul with the Voting Rights Act. 'So as we went through the details of the possibilities, I'm happy to report that every single member of the California delegation is willing to support a plan to do that,' she said of the state's Democratic lawmakers. California State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D) told reporters they anticipated that maps 'will be available next week.' 'Once these maps are released, voters will have the opportunity to digest these maps, review them for weeks and months leading to this election,' he added. California would be the first Democratic state to tangibly begin the process of trying to pass new lines ahead of 2026 in response to Texas. The Lone Star State, under pressure from President Trump, are vying to pick up five seats in their state as Republicans brace for a challenging midterm environment next year. California currently uses an independent redistricting commission to draw its maps. Democrats' aim, however, is to temporarily bypass the commission in response to what's happening in Texas to pass their own congressional lines. Newsom insisted Democrats supported independent redistricting but argued 'we're not going to unilaterally disarm in the state of California.' The California governor said he is confident that the voters will pass the proposed ballot measure. 'We believe in independent redistricting, that will be on the ballot,' he said. 'We believe it should be nationalized. That will be on the ballot. We have the opportunity to send a message 'enough.' And I believe Republicans, not just Democrats and independents, will meet that call, and we will overwhelmingly support this change.' Updated at 6:48 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas attorney general approves ballot title to roll back referendum legislation
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A group hoping to roll back recent legislative changes to the Arkansas voter referendum process had its ballot title approved on Monday. Attorney General Tim Griffin approved the third ballot title submission by Protect AR Rights under its popular name, 'The Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment.' The group intends to roll back legislation passed recently by the legislature that makes it more difficult to place a referendum on the ballot. Judge allows two additional groups to intervene in Arkansas ballot referendum case If approved by voters, the referendum behind the ballot title would amend the state constitution. Griffin had rejected the previous ballot titles because they were above an eighth-grade reading level, as required by a law recently passed by the legislature. Griffin, in his opinion, announced the approval, said the submission was at a 9.2 reading level on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula, but his office made 'a few minor changes to the ballot title that allowed it to meet the eighth-grade standard.' He also noted changing some wording that could be taken to mean there was no law against petition fraud, which, he said in his opinion, was not the case. Appeals court reinstates Arkansas ban on teaching Critical Race Theory He also cautioned the Protect AR Rights that the length and complexity could make the ballot title subject to court challenge. He also reminded the submitters of recent changes to how canvassers and signers must do before signing a petition. Protect AR Rights can now begin the signature-gathering process. If enough signatures are gathered and certified by the Secretary of State's office, the referendum behind the ballot title will appear in the next general election. Arkansas League of Women Voters files federal suit, calls changes to voter referendum process 'Unconstitutional' A similar ballot title was recently approved by Griffin for the Arkansas League of Women Voters, which has also filed a federal lawsuit about the voter referendum changes. Protect AR Rights was granted permission to file its own complaint to the court in that case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Redding effort to put sales tax hike on ballot gets enough signatures. What now?
A measure to raise the sales tax in the city of Redding by 1% appears headed for the ballot. City Clerk Sharlene Tipton told the Record Searchlight on Tuesday that Shasta County elections officials as of Monday had counted 9,073 signatures and found that 6,120 were valid. The citizens' group that collected the signatures and is backing the measure needed 5,816 verified signatures, which is 10% of the registered voters in Redding, to put the measure on the ballot. Tipton said elections officials still need to count about 600 more signatures. 'Once I receive a certification that the petition is sufficient, we will agendize the item for a regular (City) Council meeting to call a Special Election to occur between 88 and 103 days from the certification pursuant to Elections Code Section 1405,' Tipton said in an email. The group, Citizens for a Better Redding, wants the measure to go on the November ballot. 'I love it. I think we need it in the city. I love that it's a special tax and the money goes to where it's designated,' Dennis Morgan, a Redding realtor and spokesman for the citizens' group, said Tuesday. If the measure gets on the ballot and passes, the sale tax in Redding would go from 7.25% to 8.25%, generating an extra $30 million in annual revenue, City Manager Barry Tippin has said. Tipton said county elections officials on July 1 gave the city results from a 500-count statistical sample that showed about 70% of the signatures were valid. But Tipton and Tippin asked the county to count all 9,657 signatures submitted for the sake of transparency. Redding Vice Mayor Mike Littau expects the call for a special election to be on the council's Aug. 5 agenda. 'I am prepared to honor what the community wants,' Littau said. 'If the community wants (this on the ballot), I will honor the community.' On Monday, Morgan's group announced the Shasta Association of Realtors supports the tax hike. 'This measure is about protecting the future of our community — keeping critical services like public safety, infrastructure and emergency response strong. It ensures the dollars generated here stay here, helping our neighborhoods thrive and keeping our families safe,' Shasta Association of Realtors Board President Kasey Stewart wrote in the letter endorsing the measure. This is the third attempt to raise the sales tax in Redding to help fund quality of life issues such as public safety. This latest effort would need a simple majority to pass and it comes as the city is facing an estimated $5 million budget deficit. Revenue generated from sales tax, property taxes and other sources hasn't for years been enough to keep up with repairs and improvements to streets, buildings, parks and Redding's two airports, Tippin has told the City Council. Annual audits would be done to verify the funds are spent correctly. Too, the city council would appoint people to a citizens advisory committee to provide more oversight. What Redding's proposed sales tax will pay: Roads: 30% spent on maintenance, repairs and improvements. Redding Fire Department: 13% allocated to construction and staffing of ninth fire station, upgrades and improvements to the other fire stations, equipment, and at least 3.5% of the fire department's cut to fire mitigation efforts like fuel reduction. Redding Police Department: 12% allocated to additional staffing, equipment and facilities. Shasta County Sheriff's Office: 12% allocated to address repeat offenders and jail capacity. Browning said the money would specifically go to the new alternative custody campus proposed by Sheriff Michael Johnson. Whether the money goes to the sheriff's office would hinge on an agreement between the city and Shasta County. If no agreement is reached within two years of voter approval, this portion of the money would go to Redding police. Parks: 9% spent on construction, improvements and maintenance, including Redding Sports Park, California Soccer Park, South City Park, Caldwell Park and Panorama Park. Redding Civic Auditorium, Redding Rodeo Grounds: 6% allocated to the former, 3% to the latter. Redding Regional Airport: 5% allocated toward building an additional terminal, staffing and general operations of all airport facilities. Meanwhile, the Shasta County Elections Office is seeking volunteers, poll workers, temporary employees and election observers. 'Since we are moving toward a system that allows every citizen to personally verify the election, some of our processes will now be performed locally rather than farmed out or dependent on technology that cannot be observed. As such, we will have an increased need for workers. We will be returning to paper poll books and the poll pads have been discontinued. Computer knowledge is no longer necessary for most of the positions,' Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis said in a news release. David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He's part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding sales tax effort has signatures to trigger special election Solve the daily Crossword
