News & Press - Fairness Project

MSNBC Opinion: One of voters’ most powerful tools is under consistent attack from state legislatures

"The more citizens use their power to advance their interests via ballot initiatives, the more some lawmakers attack the process." writes Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project

Associated Press: Missouri voters and lawmakers clash over who should be able to initiate constitutional amendments

Nearly 150 bills were introduced across 15 state legislatures this year seeking to make it harder for initiatives to qualify for the ballot or win approval by voters — nearly double the amount of just two years ago, according to the Fairness Project, a progressive group that has backed dozens of ballot initiatives in states.

New Report: ATTACKS ON DIRECT DEMOCRACY DOUBLED IN 2025

State politicians’ efforts to silence voters up 95% in an unprecedented assault on the ballot measure process

Abortion, Every Day: Attacks on Democracy

While we’re on the subject of the GOP’s obsession with killing pro-choice ballot measures: A new report from the Fairness Project details a 95% increase in legislation aimed at stopping or complicating the ballot measure process.

LA Times: Gavin Newsom is threatening to end-run California voters. It reflects a terrible trend

"It’s a damning indictment of representative democracy when elected officials are scared of the will of their own voters,” said Alexis Magnan-Callaway of the Fairness Project, a union-backed advocacy group that focuses on state ballot measures.

Politico: Democrats’ big bet on the ‘big beautiful bill’

“Medicaid has a broader and broader appeal the more people that are on it, and the more people who know someone who’s on it. That’s incredibly powerful politically,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, which backed state Medicaid referendums.

Op-ed / US News: Angry at Trump? Don’t Waste Your Time Calling Congress — Do This Instead.

PBS NewsHour: How lawmakers are restricting citizen-led ballot initiatives

Oklahoma Legislature Attacks Citizens’ Right To Initiate Ballot Measures, Targeting Urban Voters

New law follows troubling national trend, just weeks after Florida lawmakers passed similar ballot measure restrictions

Defying Will of Missouri Voters, Politicians Force a Vote to Ban Abortion

CITIZENS VOW TO PROTECT REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

NPR: GOP-led states are passing new restrictions for voters to get issues on the ballot

Kelly Hall — the executive director of the Fairness Project, a group that works to pass economic and social justice policies through ballot measures — said she's seen more state bills to limit citizen-initiated ballot measures this year than ever before.

Associated Press: Lawmakers seek to rein in citizen ballot initiatives with new requirements for petitions

That information is not required in other states, said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, a progressive group that has backed dozens of ballot initiatives in states. Hall said people concerned about privacy might hesitate to sign petitions.

Gov. Desantis Places Nation’s Most Severe Restrictions on Florida Ballot Measure Process

New bill cuts voters out of constitutional amendment process, granting unprecedented power to state legislators and corporate interests

The 19th: Missouri’s voters restored abortion rights. Their leaders are trying to overrule them.

“It’s too simplistic to say everyone is sitting it out, but we need to have strong cases for what’s effective and that’s a reasonable request to have,” [Kelly Hall] said. “These things are resource-intensive, and the stakes are high and the impact of winning is high.”

Bloomberg: Sick Leave Wins at Risk as States Mull Ballot Initiative Limits

“This is an unprecedented number of serious pieces of legislation moving forward quickly,” to make it harder to put an initiative on the ballot, said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, which advocates for ballot measures across policy areas.

News & Media

Latest News

Filter by