In the News

“Red states know that this is the one lever that reproductive rights advocates still have in many of these states — where we’ve lost both chambers of the legislature, we’ve lost the gubernatorial seats, and we don’t have very much hope in the court system,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the advocacy group The Fairness Project.

"This is not the end of the road for the Michigan constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights, but it is a demonstration of how deeply afraid anti-choice lawmakers are to see this issue on the ballot in November,” said Kelly Hall, the executive director of the Fairness Project, a group that campaigns for progressive ballot initiatives.

Our interviews touch on the various processes per state on jumpstarting a ballot measure, what the journeys look like for getting them on the ballot, direct democracy, petitioning, and so much more. Basically, welcome to ballot measure 101.

Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, told More Perfect Union that the Medicaid expansion push in South Dakota represents the “broadest coalition that we’ve had in any of these campaigns that we’ve worked on,” adding that it includes “a lot of people who are Republicans.”

Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, a progressive group that helps organize ballot measures, said the increasing polarization of state and federal politics is leaving voters with no other options to get their voices heard.

"Kansans' victory this week over extremist state legislators showed us plainly: Ballot measures are the next frontier for protecting access to abortion care," said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project.

The Fairness Project also works with ballot initiative organizers across the country — Jenna Spinelle talked with Kelly about some of the issues they’re working on right now and some of the issues that could be heading to state and municipal ballots in the coming years.

“Ballot initiatives are a phenomenally powerful tool when there’s a disconnect between the popularity of an issue and what’s being enacted by politicians. And every poll in the country shows that disconnect when it comes to abortion rights,” said Fairness Project Executive Director Kelly Hall.