The presidential and congressional elections are dominating the national debate, but on the state level, voters are considering referendums that may have an equal or greater impact on individual civil liberties.
Maine
Maine voters will decide whether to allow the construction of a new casino in Oxford County.Maryland
Maryland voters will decide whether or not to allow the construction of 15,000 slot machines.Massachusetts
Question 3 would decriminalize marijuana in Massachusetts for possession of one ounce or less. An August 2008 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll found that 71 percent of respondents support the proposal, which would make Massachusetts' marijuana laws among the most libertarian in the country.Michigan
Michigan voters will decide whether to allow the medical use of marijuana, much as California has.Missouri
Missouri is home to Constitutional Amendment 1, which would ban the use of languages other than English in government meetings. There hasn't exactly been an epidemic of non-English government meetings, but the bill would allow Missouri voters to express hostility towards undocumented Mexican-American immigrants in a relatively benign way. (Though there is no word on what will happen if a government official uses phrases like "habeas corpus," "laissez-faire," or "quid pro quo.")Missouri is home to a much more promising ballot initiative on gambling, which would make a series of small, generally liberalizing revisions to state gambling restrictions.
Nevada
Nevada's eminent domain referendum would limit the use of eminent domain in cases where property is seized and transferred to another private owner. (If only Louisiana policymakers were so enlightened!) The referendum already passed in 2006 with 69% support, but under Nevada state law ballot initiatives must pass two consecutive times.Ohio
Ohio is considering a ballot initiative that would make it more difficult to get ballot initiative referendums approved by requiring petition-gatherers to prevent signatures by an earlier deadline.Oklahoma
Oklahoma voters will consider three ballot initiatives, none of them offensive:- State Question 735 would grant a property tax exemption for disabled veterans ;
- State Question 742 would establish a constitutional right to hunt and fish ; and
- State Question 743 would liberalize laws restricting the sale and packaging of wine.
Oregon
Oregon Measures 57 and 61 represent an epic battle between bad and worse. Measure 57 would expand mandatory sentences for repeat offenders to the tune of $70 million per year, while Measure 61 would establish mandatory sentences for a swath of new first-time offenses to the tune of $128 to $200 million per year. (Measure 61 author Kevin Mannix has complained that Oregon's incarceration rate is too low.) The two Measures contradict each other, so the one that passes with the most votes will be enacted.Oregon is also home to Measure 58, which would limit public school students to two years of bilingual education (another jab at Mexican-American immigrants), and Measure 64, which would impose new restrictions on union campaign donations.
