Record Number of Ballot Measures Set for 2012

MADISON, Wis., June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to this week's Tuesday Count, six new statewide ballot measures have been certified for the 2012 ballot. A product of Ballotpedia, the Tuesday Count is a weekly news digest featuring updates on state and local ballot measures and ballot law.  

This week's newly added ballot measures bring the count to a total of 45 certified measures for spots on 19 statewide ballots in 2012. At this rate, the 2012 count is well on its way to surpassing the 184 total measures that appeared on ballots in 2010. 16 measures have been certified for the 2011 ballot.

Alabama and Idaho both added three ballot measures this week. In Alabama, the measures include an amendment to prohibit mandatory participation in any health care system, an amendment to guarantee the right to a secret ballot in votes of employee representation, and one that would require photo identification when voting at the polls.

In Idaho, three education veto referendums were officially certified and cleared for a statewide vote. The measures target state laws regarding technology and online learning, performance-based pay for teachers, and collective bargaining rights for educators in the state.

With two weeks remaining before the June 29 petition drive deadline, supporters of repeal Senate Bill 5 are forging ahead with their efforts in Ohio. If approved for the 2011 ballot, the measure will ask voters to repeal a bill that limits collective bargaining for public employees in the state. A minimum of 231,149 valid signatures are required to put the measure to a vote. In May 2011, supporters of the repeal announced that they had an estimated 214,000 signatures.

In Washington, supporters of Initiative 1130, which would set new rules for egg-laying hens, announced that they had met the state's minimum requirements. In ballot law news, Washington's State Supreme Court  is set to hear a case regarding the legality of repealing traffic camera laws via referendum.

The Tuesday Count has been published on the front page of Ballotpedia.org at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays for 76 consecutive weeks, providing readers with an authoritative weekly guide to the most important events in the area of state and local ballot measures.

Ballotpedia.org is an edited wiki-based website about state and local politics.  It is sponsored by the non-profit, non-partisan Lucy Burns Institute (LBI) based in Madison, Wisconsin.

SOURCE Ballotpedia.org