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RandySF's JournalSadiq Khan set to be re-elected as London mayor as Labour declares victory
Sadiq Khan looks set to be re-elected as mayor of London with Labour party sources declaring early victory.
Results are still coming in but initial signs are that Mr Khan has beaten his Tory rival Susan Hall with swings in a number of boroughs.
It comes as Rishi Sunak suffered a terrible first day of council election results with the prime minister now nervously waiting on the results from the capital and the West Midlands mayoral contests.
Of the 107 councils that held elections on Thursday, 102 had declared their full results on Friday night with the Conservatives losing more than 400 councillors, as the party lost control of 10 councils.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/local-election-results-2024-london-mayor-council-labour-b2538971.html
Abortion Ballot Measures Status by State
AZ: Acquired the requisite number of signatures - https://arizonaforabortionaccess.org/
AR: Gathering signatures - https://arliberty.org/
CO: Signature petitions submitted - https://coloradansforreproductivefreedom.com
FL: On the November ballot - https://floridiansprotectingfreedom.com
MD: On the November ballot - https://mdreprofreedom.com
MO: Signature petitions submitted. - https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org
MT: Gathering signatures - https://mtreprorights.org
NE: Gathering signatures - https://protectourrights.com
NV: Signature drive nearly complete - https://www.nv4reprofreedom.org
NY: On November Ballot - https://nyequalrights.org
SD: Signature petitions submitted - https://www.dakotans4health.com
London takes center stage as vote count begins in mayoral contest that could be closer than thought
LONDON (AP) — London took center stage on Saturday as the counting of votes began in the capital city’s mayoral contest, a day after Britain’s governing Conservative Party suffered a drubbing in local election results.
Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party mayor who is chasing a historic third straight election win, had been widely expected to win easily, but there are some concerns that the race may be tighter than previously thought.
That’s mainly due to the fact that turnout at Thursday’s election — at a total of 40.5% — was higher in the outer suburbs than in the inner city. Khan’s main opponent, the Conservatives’ Susan Hall, focused her campaign on issues such as a levy imposed on high-polluting vehicles, which has resonated in the suburbs where residents depend more on their cars for work and essential travel.
Also, there are concerns within Labour that Khan may have suffered from the blowback of the party leadership’s strong pro-Israel stance over the war in Gaza, which results Friday clearly showed depressed support in strongly Muslim areas in England.
https://www.cbs42.com/news/international/ap-london-takes-center-stage-as-vote-count-begins-in-mayoral-contest-that-could-be-closer-than-thought/
Mountain lion hunting ban working its way towards Colorado's 2024 ballot
As the legislative session nears an end for another year, with Colorado lawmakers scrambling to finish up bills, citizen-initiated measures hoping to make the ballot in 2024 are also piling up to enact new laws.
One such initiative includes language that appears in practice to outright ban the hunting of mountain lions in Colorado— despite laws on the books that already tightly regulate and protect the species.
If it makes the ballot and passes, Initiative #91 would bar what the measure refers to as the “trophy hunting” of mountain lions—along with bobcats or lynx–in Colorado. The measure has been approved for circulation and the group “Cats Aren’t Trophies” had already raised nearly $220,000 by the Jan. 16 campaign finance filing date. The next filing is due May 6. The group also registered with the Secretary of Sate as a licensed petition entity on April 11, meaning they can pay people directly for signature gathering. Proponents must gather more than 126,000 valid signatures from registered voters by August to make the ballot.
Trophy hunting is generally considered as the hunting of wild animals just for sport and not for food, but Initiative 91 broadly defines the practice as the “intentional killing, wounding, pursing or entrapping of a mountain lion, bobcat or lynx.”
https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2024/05/03/mountain-lion-hunting-ban-colorado-2024-ballot/
TX: Millions in school upgrades on Tarrant County ballots May 4
Mansfield ISD is seeking approval for a $777 million bond package, the largest in the district’s history.
The school district is one of several in Tarrant County asking voters to approve millions in school improvements in the May 4 election.
Voters in Mansfield ISD will see five propositions on the ballot:
https://fortworthreport.org/2024/05/03/millions-in-school-upgrades-on-tarrant-county-ballots-may-4/
NASHVILLE REP. JUSTIN JONES REMAINS ON BALLOT DESPITE CHALLENGE TO SIGNATURE VALIDITY
Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones, a Democrat, has effectively kept his spot on the ballot after fending off an attempt by Republican adversary Laura Nelson to disqualify him from running for re-election. The Davidson County Election Commission, after a heated two-hour session, voted 3-1 in favor of Jones, with the decision being made amidst a backdrop of interruptions and outbursts from attendees supporting both sides.
The crux of the controversy rested on the validity of signatures that Jones, representing Nashville, was required to collect to run for office—a mere 26, of which, after a single disqualification, 25 were upheld as valid. Nelson had initially challenged ten signatures, but during the proceedings, managed to only firmly dispute three. She claimed that Jones failed to "spell our own name," per Nashville Banner, referring to one of the signatories on his petition. Jones, in return, defended the legitimacy of the signatures, producing notarized affidavits from the individuals in question to cement their authenticity.
Despite Nelson's assertive push, her appeal seemingly fell flat with the commission members. Notably, Commission chair Jim DeLanis, despite his admitted leanings towards acceptance of the signatures, had unsolicited advice for Jones via AP News: urging him to gather more signatures next time he runs for office. Nelson has indicated she plans to seek further appeal options following the verdict.
The episode has been tinged with political theater, including Jones playing a voicemail from Nelson to DeLanis and branding Goins as the "chief of voter suppression," in full view of the commission attendees, according to Nashville Banner. Such theatrics, however, were not limited to this first hearing. A subsequent case saw Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) challenge his Republican opponent Jennifer Frensley Webb's qualifying petition. This separate case was wrought with its drama but concluded with the commission allowing Webb's candidacy to proceed.
https://hoodline.com/2024/05/nashville-rep-justin-jones-remains-on-ballot-despite-challenge-to-signature-validity/
Connecticut lawmakers take first steps to pass bill calling for cameras at absentee ballot boxes
HARTFORD, Conn. -- State lawmakers took the first steps Friday toward tightening absentee ballot laws since video last year captured people stuffing reams of ballots into collection boxes in one city, creating a “black eye” for Connecticut and fueling skepticism in some circles about U.S. election security.
Mandatory surveillance cameras at absentee drop-boxes and improved tracking of ballots, as well as new protections for poll workers, are among the proposed changes in a bill that easily cleared the House of Representatives.
Democrats and Republicans said Friday it was important to pass legislation that increases the public's confidence in state elections, even though no one has been charged yet in connection with the alleged ballot irregularities in the September mayoral primary in Bridgeport - the results of which were tossed out by a judge.
“This episode was a black eye for the city, for the state, and for the vast, vast majority of election officials, candidates and campaign workers in this state who follow our laws with the utmost integrity and competence,” Democratic Rep. Matt Blumenthal said. “It did reveal to us some gaps in our current laws and measures that we can take to increase the security, transparency and overall integrity and public perception of integrity of our elections."
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/connecticut-lawmakers-steps-pass-bill-calling-cameras-absentee-109916580
OR: Multnomah County sends out 9,300 replacement ballots due to error
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Multnomah County Elections Division announced they are sending out replacement ballots for 9,300 voters who were sent a previous version that was incorrect.
The original ballots omitted Measure 26-244, part of the May 21 Primary Election, which is related to residents within the regional government Metro. All of the erroneous ballots were sent to people living in East Multnomah County. Officials said the wrong ballots people received were designed for those who live outside Metro’s jurisdictional boundaries.
In terms of what people should do with the ballots, the new ballot will come with a letter explaining what to do with the faulty ballot as only one ballot can be counted for each voter. As the elections office explained in a release.
“Affected voters should return their replacement ballots by 8 p.m. on May 21, 2024, the date of the Primary Election. Ballots postmarked on May 21 or sooner will also be counted. Affected voters should consider destroying or discarding their original ballots,” the release said.
https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/multnomah-county-sends-out-9300-replacement-ballots-due-to-error-05032024/
CA: Ballot Measures Take on Housing Crunch
As California grapples with a crushing housing shortage, two ballot measures would change the way local governments authorize or pay for affordable housing and other public infrastructure projects.
One of the measures would lower the threshold for local governments to pass new taxes to support infrastructure and affordable housing. Another one would eliminate a provision of the state constitution requiring voter approval for “low-rent housing.”
California initiatives can come to a vote in two ways: proponents can gather signatures, or lawmakers can pass bills to place them on the ballot. Both of these measures were proposed by the legislature.
Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1, introduced by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, would lower the threshold to raise local taxes for projects such as roads, water facilities and affordable housing. Under current law it takes two-thirds of voters to pass that kind of tax increase. The ballot measure would drop that to 55 percent: the same standard required for local school bonds......
Senate Constitutional Amendment 2, proposed by state Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, would scratch Article 34 of the state constitution, which requires a majority of voters to authorize a city or county government to build or buy a publicly funded “low-rent housing project.”
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2024/05/03/sacramento-report-ballot-measures-take-on-housing-crunch/
KSHB 41 examines process of putting an initiative petition on Missouri's ballot
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sunday at 5 p.m. is the deadline for groups who want to put an initiative petition on a Missouri ballot to submit the required signatures to the Secretary of State’s office.
KSHB 41 News contacted a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office to explain how the process works.
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kshb-41-examines-process-of-putting-an-initiative-petition-on-missouris-ballot
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