Blockbuster Democracy

A Blog from New America's Irvine Fellows Program

May 24 Event in DC on New European Initiative Process

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
May 23, 2010

Please join me at New America in DC, 1899 L St. NW, Suite 400, from 3 to 5 p.m. on Monday for an event on the new initiative process in Europe -- and what this process, the world's first transnational direct democratic tool -- could mean for the rest of us. Please RSVP to me at mathews@newamerica.net if you'd like to come. The full event description, including panelists, follows:

Join Me Over at Prop Zero, and at the Global Forum

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
May 23, 2010
A couple of important news items about this blog: -Prop Zero. Much of the content I once posted on this blog is now available at Prop Zero, a new NBC web site on California's governmental and political crisis where I'm serving as lead blogger. You can check it out at any of these three links: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/blogs/prop-zero/ http://www.nbcsandiego.com/blogs/prop-zero/ http://www.nbcbayarea.com/blogs/prop-zero/ -The 2010 Global Forum.

Why Raising the Filing Fee for Initiatives Is the Wrong Idea

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
April 21, 2010

In this column at Fox & Hounds Daily, I discuss legislation in California to raise the filing fee for ballot initiatives from $200 to $2000--and offer alternative proposals that would reduce frivolous filings while strengthening the process.

Litigation in Adams Recall

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
April 21, 2010

Sponsor of the effort to recall California Assemblyman Anthony Adams thought they had more than enough signatures to qualify a recall -- but it turned out that more than half of the signatures in official samples were bogus. Now, a political consultant behind the recall has filed suit against the company that handled petitions.

Dept of Self Promotion: Would California Be Better Off As Its Own Country?

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
April 20, 2010

That's the question I'll be posing in Los Angeles Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at a Zocalo Public Square panel on the relationship between the state and federal government. The event is free and open to the public; you can make sure you have a seat by reserving onehere

 

Launched! Here's New Web Site for 2010 Global Forum

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
April 20, 2010
I'm pleased to announce that the new web site -- www.2010globalforum.com for the 2010 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy has been launched. The forum is a free, public event at the UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco this summer. You can register for the event and book your hotel rooms now.

Meet "Petey," The First Non-Human Petition Circulator

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
April 8, 2010

"Petey" is a signature-gathering robot--an ATM machine that allows you to sign petitions in Oregon. He was designed by Ross Day, a conservative there who is deeply involved in protecting the initiative process. Petey doesn't permit electronic signatures yet, but you can read petitions and print them out on Petey. Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian tells the story here.

Creeping Socialism in Oregon...

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
April 8, 2010

OK, not really. But an Oregon activist is planning a ballot initiative to ban the use of studded tires, which can help cars handle bad weather but also do considerable damage to roads. It says here that you can't tell us what sort of tires we can use--it's the end of liberty and our country as we knew it! Or maybe not.

Kafka on the Margins: Electronic Sigs Suffer Setback in Court

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
April 7, 2010

Kafka on the Margins: Electronic Sigs Suffer a Setback In Court
    San Mateo County Superior Court Judge George Miram this week ruled invalid the first electronic signature submitted on an initiative petition.
    It’s an important ruling (a PDF is attached to this post) and not unexpected – but nevertheless it’s a setback for those of us who hope that electronic signatures might make registering voters and qualifying initiative petitions cheaper, and thus give more power to individuals and organizations that don’t have deep pockets.

A California Initiative Spawns a Boycott on Gasoline

  • By
  • Joe Mathews
April 7, 2010

Texas oil interests are funding a California ballot initiative that seeks to put the state's landmark climate change legislation on hold. The Courage Campaign, a progressive network of more than 700,000 people (based both in California and on the Internet), is fighting back by asking Californians not to buy gas sold by one of those companies, Valero. More details on the boycott are here.

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