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There are 155 ballot measures being voted on during the 2016 U.S. elections on November 8th, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Eight measures were voted on before November, and the 155 count includes Washington, D.C.'s statehood referendum. Hundreds of local ballot measures are not reflected in this count.
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Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota are voting on permitting medical cannabis, while Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada are voting on recreational cannabis. Montana will vote on expanding access to medical cannabis to patients diagnosed with chronic pain or PTSD, and the removal of some limits of the current law, including surprise inspection by law enforcement. Oklahoma's "Act relating to Criminal Justice Reform for Low-Level Offenses" would soften penalties for drug possession (but not possession or transportation with intent to distribute).
Currently, 20 states allow only medical cannabis under various circumstances, and Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington D.C. have legalized or decriminalized recreational cannabis. Since at least some of the 2016 cannabis initiatives are likely to pass, you can expect more banking-related headaches in the near future. The number of U.S. banks that will accept money from semi-legal cannabis businesses is up 45%, but many dispensaries are still forced to operate on an all-cash basis, making them attractive robbery targets.
Colorado will vote on a "Medical Aid in Dying" measure which would allow doctor-assisted suicide. If passed, Colorado would join Oregon, Washington, California, Montana and Vermont in allowing some form of assisted suicide. Meanwhile, California is voting on the repeal of the death penalty and Nebraska is voting on reinstatement. California has two death penalty measures on the ballot: one for repeal, and one for changes that would speed up appeals and petitions. Oklahoma may revise the state constitution to make it easier to change the method of execution.
Washington, D.C. is voting on a non-binding statehood referendum. This is the first such vote since 1982. Some would-be backers are turned off by the take-it-or-leave-it inclusion of a new constitution. Previously, the vote would have also included accepting the proposed new name from the 1982 vote, "New Columbia", but that has been rejected by the D.C. Council. Instead, the new state would be called the "State of Washington, D.C." with the D.C. being shorthand for "Douglass Commonwealth".
The state of Washington's Initiative 1491, "Extreme Risk Protection Orders", would allow police or family/household members to obtain court orders temporarily restricting access to firearms for "persons exhibiting mental illness, violent or other behavior indicating they may harm themselves or others". Maine, California and Nevada will vote on measures that would require background checks to purchase guns. Indiana and Kansas will vote on right to hunt/fish measures that do not explicitly mention guns.
Arizona, Maine, Colorado and Washington are voting on increases in the minimum wage, to be phased in by 2020. Washington will consider a $13.50/hour minimum wage, while the other states will decide on $12/hour. On the other side of the coin, South Dakota will vote on a decrease of the minimum wage for workers under 18 years old.
Some more interesting initiatives and referenda: Florida will vote on the "Consumer Rights Regarding Solar Energy Amendment", which claims to establish a right for homeowners to own or lease solar power equipment, while preventing subsidization by non-solar power customers. This measure has been criticized as a ploy by utility companies to raise fees for solar users, and the utilities have spent $22 million to try to get it passed. Colorado will vote on establishing ColoradoCare, a universal health care system. Georgia will vote on imposing additional penalties on child sex-trafficking crimes. Maine voters will consider establishing ranked-choice voting, allowing the method to be used in the U.S. Senator, State Senator, U.S. Representative, State Representative, and Governor races. Montana will vote on establishing the Montana Biomedical Research Authority, which would oversee grants for brain-related medical research and fund some peer-reviewed research. Oklahoma's Wine and Beer Amendment would make extensive changes to the sale of alcohol in the state. Oregon will vote on an increase in corporate taxes to fund education, health care, and senior citizen services.
You can find lists of all the amendments at the NCSL and Ballotpedia.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 03 2016, @07:06PM
I must point out that power companies are at least partly exempt from the laws of economics that dictate what a Mom and Pop store must do. Power companies are awarded monopolies by the government, and they have captive audiences.
An amusing anecdote for you. A power company ran a highline through the county. Brother in law didn't want to sign the papers for the easement. Someone came out to talk to him, they negotiated, and bil was given free electricity in exchange for signing the papers. Bil had that sweet arrangement for quite a number of years, before the local power company discovered a transformer hanging off of a highline tower. They followed the wires, and discovered the power was hooked up, without even a meter. Local power company threatened legal action, the owners of the highline removed their transformer, and bil now pays for his power through the local coop, which holds the "legal" monopoly to sell electricity in the area.
I really don't think that could happen today, there are to many prying eyes, everywhere you go. Lemme think - bil is 13 years older than I am - I guess this happened mid to late '60's. Today, it's a different world out there.
Anyway, the way I see it, the power companies were formed by and with special powers by the government. The power companies MUST turn a little profit, or they will go out of existence, but the government is there to smooth the way for them. Unlike Mom and Pop, government passes laws to ensure the power companies can make power - laws from limiting the price of fuel, to what kind of fuel will be used, to special considerations for "minority" owned suppliers, on and on it goes. Government can and will pick up some of the power company's costs, if things are looking bad. It is in the "public interest" to keep the power companies running smoothly, and government uses it's powers to ensure that they do.
So - the electric company CAN buy power at retail, and sell it at retail, and still show a profit. While it would be unfeasible for a local small businessman to try that, a monopoly with government backing can do so. Taxpayers will pick up any slack in the balance sheet, after all.