Ballot Measures

LOS ANGELES - If there was any doubt about the strength of fledging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political power, it was laid to rest by the overwhelming support he mustered Tuesday for two key ballot measures. Schwarzenegger staked a great deal of political capital on the approval of the two measures meant to help the state out of its fiscal crisis and prevent similar problems. Just a couple weeks ago, opinion polls indicated that the propositions, known as Measures 57 and 58, were headed for a crushing defeat.

Delivering same-sex marriage's first ballot box victories and the first openly gay U.S. Senator-elect, the 2012 election could be remembered as a turning point for gay rights, some observers say. Maine voters joined Maryland's in approving same-sex marriage, and the measure was leading in Washington state . In Minnesota, a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage was defeated. Before Tuesday's votes, gay marriage lost all 32 times it appeared on a statewide ballot. Same-sex couples are allowed to wed in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., as a result of court or legislative action.

WASHINGTON -- Voters in state after state, supposedly angry about the way politicians have been doing things, will get a chance next week to say what's on their minds as scores of ballot measures are put to a vote.If this is the year of the discontented voter, that sentiment is likely to show up in balloting on about 75 measures with statewide impact, along with several times that number proposed for counties and cities.Term limits for members of Congress, one of the strongest expressions of voter displeasure in recent years, are among the hottest ballot ideas.

Howard County residents have tried four times in the past nine years to challenge local government decisions on taxes and land use by referendum and failed each time to get the questions on the ballot. They've been rebuffed by opinions of the county's law department and by the courts, getting hung up on legal technicalities and the details of how signatures are validated. As difficult as it is to put a question on the local ballot, the bar would rise a bit higher if voters on Election Day approve one particular county charter revision, one of five changes proposed this year.

Just days after taking office, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made it clear that he will turn the initiative process into a main arm of his administration. Even as the new governor keeps the state Legislature in special session and pledges to work closely with its members, he also is setting the stage to go over their heads and govern directly through an extensive series of ballot measures. Schwarzenegger could be supporting or sponsoring as many as four measures on the March ballot and as many as half a dozen next November.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was closing in on a resounding vote of confidence yesterday with early returns showing state voters passing two ballot measures that are cornerstones of his plan for recovery from the state fiscal crisis. Proposition 57 authorizes the state to borrow $15 billion to balance the budget. Most of that would refinance previously approved debt that is under court challenge, but roughly $4 billion would be used to close current and future budget gaps, according to the nonpartisan legislative analyst's office.

WASHINGTON -- As U.S. voters look down their ballots next Tuesday, below the presidential line they will find options to join in a genuine political revolt and to enlist as religious soldiers in controversial moral crusades.Across the nation, there are 230 ballot measures before the voters in 42 states, 68 of them put on the ballot by citizen petitions and 162 put there by state legislatures seeking voter reaction.This year's ballot measures, giving the voters themselves the power to write laws, are particularly lively at a time when the electorate seems angry and unsettled about the way politicians are handling government.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court blunted yesterday the effort of states to cut back on voter initiatives -- particularly those promoted by out-of-state groups -- by striking down controls on people who solicit signatures for ballot measures.States, the court made clear by a 6-3 vote, act unconstitutionally when they adopt measures that significantly reduce the number of people who can be recruited to gather signatures, thus reducing the number of voters contacted and cutting down chances that a proposal will get onto the ballot.

In at least some states, the reaction against the notion that the government might take away land for private development was fierce yesterday. In Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and New Hampshire, voters overwhelmingly approved measures to restrict government's power to use eminent domain to seize privately owned land for other private development. The outcomes were seen as a resounding indication of voters' fury at a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said such takings were legal.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Advocates for the homeless say it's no coincidence that San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan's first comprehensive proposals for getting people off the streets and into jobs, housing and treatment came just three weeks before the Nov. 8 election.On Election Day, voters will decide whether to endorse his two tough ballot measures to strengthen welfare rules and regulate behavior on the streets.The mayor's critics say they may support the concepts in the plan released Oct. 19, but they're skeptical of his timing.

Maryland enters uncharted political territory this fall as voters for the first time in decades face four major ballot questions. An onslaught of costly advertising is likely as competing interests from all over the country try to sway the state's electorate. Ballot questions aren't subject to fundraising limits, so the money spent on at least two of the campaigns — on laws legalizing same-sex marriage and expanding gambling in the state — will likely be in the millions. Two other questions, on access to higher education for some illegal immigrants and the fairness of the new congressional map, ignite deep passions likely to inspire old fashioned face-to-face politicking.

A coalition has submitted nearly 24,000 signatures supporting a referendum on Anne Arundel County's fall ballot that would overturn a decision allowing the state's largest slots casino at a mall. Citizens Against Slots at the Mall submitted 23,702 signatures to the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections on Thursday afternoon in support of a referendum that would allow county voters to decide whether to permit slots at Arundel Mills, according to the groups coordinating the effort.

DENVER -- Intent on dismantling affirmative action, activists in five states have launched a coordinated drive to cut off tax dollars for programs that offer preference based on race or gender. They aim to put affirmative action bans on the November ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The effort is being organized by California consultant Ward Connerly, who has successfully promoted similar measures in California, Michigan and Washington. Supporters of affirmative action say the initiatives will be difficult to block, given that Connerly has a proven ability to raise funds and persuade voters, even in more liberal states.

In at least some states, the reaction against the notion that the government might take away land for private development was fierce yesterday. In Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and New Hampshire, voters overwhelmingly approved measures to restrict government's power to use eminent domain to seize privately owned land for other private development. The outcomes were seen as a resounding indication of voters' fury at a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said such takings were legal.

In a strongly worded filing, an attorney representing opponents of a referendum seeking to overturn dozens of rezoning cases asked the state Court of Appeals to deny a review of a lower court's ruling that invalidated the ballot measure. The attorney, Harry B. Siegel, also asked the court to rebuff the last-minute attempt by a citizens group that had pushed the referendum to intervene in the case. The Howard County Board of Elections, in sharp contrast, objected to neither. There was another notable distinction: The board's filing took four pages while Siegel's, including exhibits, consumed 102. The filings were made yesterday, setting the stage for the state's highest court to decide whether scores of rezoning cases, approved last year during what is commonly referred to as "Comp Lite," will be subject to voter consent.

LOS ANGELES - If there was any doubt about the strength of fledging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political power, it was laid to rest by the overwhelming support he mustered Tuesday for two key ballot measures. Schwarzenegger staked a great deal of political capital on the approval of the two measures meant to help the state out of its fiscal crisis and prevent similar problems. Just a couple weeks ago, opinion polls indicated that the propositions, known as Measures 57 and 58, were headed for a crushing defeat.

DENVER -- Intent on dismantling affirmative action, activists in five states have launched a coordinated drive to cut off tax dollars for programs that offer preference based on race or gender. They aim to put affirmative action bans on the November ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The effort is being organized by California consultant Ward Connerly, who has successfully promoted similar measures in California, Michigan and Washington. Supporters of affirmative action say the initiatives will be difficult to block, given that Connerly has a proven ability to raise funds and persuade voters, even in more liberal states.

WASHINGTON -- With a late surge of support, a ballot measure that is intended to send a strong message against affirmative action goes before California voters today in this year's hottest fight over a voter-initiated idea.Elsewhere, Arkansans who want to amend the U.S. Constitution to impose term limits on members of Congress got some help from the Supreme Court to keep that idea on the ballot.And in eight states, the victims' rights movement -- aiming ultimately for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- will test interest in creating at the state level new rights for victims of crime.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was closing in on a resounding vote of confidence yesterday with early returns showing state voters passing two ballot measures that are cornerstones of his plan for recovery from the state fiscal crisis. Proposition 57 authorizes the state to borrow $15 billion to balance the budget. Most of that would refinance previously approved debt that is under court challenge, but roughly $4 billion would be used to close current and future budget gaps, according to the nonpartisan legislative analyst's office.

Just days after taking office, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made it clear that he will turn the initiative process into a main arm of his administration. Even as the new governor keeps the state Legislature in special session and pledges to work closely with its members, he also is setting the stage to go over their heads and govern directly through an extensive series of ballot measures. Schwarzenegger could be supporting or sponsoring as many as four measures on the March ballot and as many as half a dozen next November.