Utah Decides, the coalition working on getting Medicaid expansion on the ballot in Utah, announces they have enough qualified signatures today. A 30 day period now begins where the state verifies these signatures https://t.co/cYHr6wGyNf pic.twitter.com/tS18ZsGFOT
— Adam Searing (@AdamSearing) April 16, 2018
The Utah petition is for a straight up expansion and not the partial expansion that Utah’s government has requested.
Several other states including Missouri, Idaho and Nebraska have active signature gathering campaigns to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot for this fall.
If you are in these states, seek out the signature collectors and sign away.
Jerry
Is this something that we can do here in North Carolina, Mr Mayhew? Do you know if our state law allows for a process like this?
David Anderson
@Jerry: I don’t know. I don’t think so as if there was a process, I would have assumed it would have started by now.
Bodacious
I’m in Idaho, and the signature gathering is EVERYWHERE….ok, for sanity sake, Boise is a tad bluer than the Idahoian core. The future is looking brighter for those in need.
schrodingers_cat
@Bodacious: Are you sure? My twice Obama voting friend moved to Boise and became a conspiracy theory nutjob who makes excuses for T and voted for that crackpot Jill Stein in 2016.
Cowboy Diva
Also, Mr Mayhew: what is the name of the organization running the balloting campaign in Missouri?
Nicole
@schrodingers_cat: I think that might have less to do with Boise and more to do with your friend. I have a number of friends who also were 2-time Obama voters who lost their minds from Hillary rage who stayed right in NYC or Los Angeles or scenic Erie, PA. Well, most of them are former friends now.
Jerry
@David Anderson:
North Carolina’s Constitution does not allow for statewide ballot initiatives
Well, that answers that. We just need to elect better people here in the Old North State.
GregB
Sonya Sotomayor broke her shoulder in a fall. Please get better soon.
Barbara
Virginia’s and Pennsylvania’s constitutions also do not allow for statewide ballot initiatives. In Virginia, changes to the constitution must go through the legislature first (as if . . .). At any rate, it is more of a thing west of the Mississippi.
At least a few years ago, Idaho had the highest proportion of individual residents participating in exchange programs for a state that had not expanded Medicaid. I think Florida might have surpassed it, but they were close last time I looked. The Washington Post had a great article on the situation in Idaho, where the legislature was trying to find the health care alternative to live free (take the federal subsidies) or die (let everyone figure it out on their own). Surprise, surprise, they couldn’t do it. There are some really choice quotes, from one state legislator whose coverage is of course guaranteed by the state railing against people who rely on the government to another stating that people should just try to get better jobs with health coverage. Source
Juice Box
@schrodingers_cat: Are you my husband? His atheist, liberal friend moved to Idaho and became a “Christian”, Trump voter. Must be the fluoridation.
rikyrah
Good for them. Get it on the ballot!
schrodingers_cat
@Juice Box: Her transformation was gradual. The first couple of years she complained mightily about how terrible it was being a liberal in a red red state. Then slowly she began saying borderline racist things about President O, that morphed into venomous HRC hate and xenophobia. I stopped responding to her e-mails after she defended the first Muslim ban.
schrodingers_cat
@Nicole: It was both, being a sane person with some liberal tendencies was socially isolating in her new environs so she changed gradually. It was about a four year process from somewhat sane to cray-cray.
Ohio Mom
@schrodingers_cat: I have seen the same process with two (former) friends who married conservatives. The conservative husbands slowly went rabid and their wives followed along.
I can’t help but think of the recovering alcoholics I’ve known, most of whom made a huge effort to change their social circles — they realize they need to be around healthier influences. It turns out choosing your environment wisely matters.
O. Felix Culpa
@schrodingers_cat: It’s painful watching people transform like that. I sometimes wonder if there’s an underlying neurological issue with some of them, to cause such a radical change. Not to excuse your (former) friend’s behavior of course.
schrodingers_cat
@Ohio Mom: Her husband has transformed from a milquetoast New England R to a gun nut who voted for T.
O. Felix Culpa
@Ohio Mom:
Good point.
Cermet
So, another thug rep Charlie Dent from Pennsylvania is resigning at the end of the month! What is he running away from, I wonder?
O. Felix Culpa
@Cermet: Obligatory: Another One Bites the Dust
Another Scott
@Barbara: Virginia’s Constitution is weird. It’s so very specific about a lot of things, especially when it comes to the powers of localities. E.g. a 2016 Constitutional Amendment about property taxes:
It’s nuts that minor changes like this require a Constitutional amendment.
Dunno about the process of how it ended up on the ballot, but people do have the right to vote on Virginia Constitutional amendments.
Cheers,
Scott.
Barbara
@Another Scott: An amendment to the constitution must be voted on by the populace but it can only be proposed by the General Assembly. I don’t know if I said that clearly enough. So the amendment to the constitution that limited marriage to one man and one woman (without regard to the complexity that such language potentially posed for those contemplating remarriage after divorce) was initiated in the General Assembly and voted on by all Virginians, and then rendered obsolete by the Supreme Court.
Ken Pedersen
I’ve been working on that petition (among about 6 others here) on and off for a year. The real problem has been that you’re required to
get a certain percentage of all of the 29 counties to get it on the ballot, which is hard because about 70% of the state is deep red and rural.
But I think it will pass, and we’ll also have a gerrymandering initiative, as well as (probably) medical marijuana and school funding initiatives this
November as well. We’ll also have a ton of great state candidates, and at this point, Mia Love will be in the fight of her life against Ben McAdams, the second most popular politician in the state. It’s looking good here in Zion.