Election 2012: Civil Liberties Win Big on the Ballot

Civil Liberties were on the ballot in states across the country this election year. Voters went to the polls and voted their values on issues like the freedom to marry, reproductive rights, the death penalty and the legalization of marijuana.

From Maine to Minnesota, California to Florida, and Massachusetts to New Mexico, Americans chose freedom. Voters spoke loud and clear about wanting their civil liberties protected, defended and expanded.

Election 2012 will be remembered as the year that civil liberties won big on the ballot.

Arkansas
Medical Marijuana

California
Replace the Death Penalty

California
Revise Three Strikes

Colorado
Marijuana Legalization

Florida
Taxpayer Funding of Religion

Florida
Anti-Abortion

Massachusetts
Medical Marijuana

Massachusetts
Death with Dignity

Maryland
DREAM Act

Maryland
Marriage

Maine
Marriage

Minnesota
Marriage Ban

Minnesota
Voter ID

Montana
Anti-Immigrant

Montana
Anti-Abortion

New Mexico
Independent Public Defender

Oklahoma
End Affirmative Action

Oregon
Marijuana Legalization

Washington
Marijuana Legalization

Washington
Marriage

Issue 5 would exempt seriously ill patients from state laws that criminalize marijuana. Patients suffering from conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, fibromyalgia, and agitation of Alzheimer's disease would be able to use and acquire marijuana medicinally, subject to stringent state regulation. DEFEATED

Prop 34 replaces the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole. This measure would save an estimated $130 million a year and provide funds for investigation of unsolved violent crimes, which disproportionately occur in communities of color. DEFEATED

Prop 36 revises the three strikes law to impose a life sentence only when a new felony conviction is serious or violent. It would also authorize re-sentencing for individuals currently serving life sentences if their third strike conviction was not serious or violent and a judge determines that the new sentence would not pose an unreasonable risk to public safety. Life sentence penalties would remain when an individual’s third strike conviction is for certain non-serious, non-violent sex or drug offenses or involved a firearm. Life sentence penalties would also remain for felons with non-serious non-violent third strikes if their prior convictions were for rape, murder, or child molestation. PASSED

Amendment 64 would make marijuana legal for adults, taking marijuana off the black market and establishing a system in which it is regulated and taxed similar to alcohol. PASSED

Amendment 8 is the misleadingly-named "Religious Freedom Amendment" and would remove a century-old protection against the entangling of government and religion and would require taxpayer funding of religious groups and institutions. DEFEATED

With Amendment 6, politicians are attempting to interfere with a woman's right to make decisions about her own reproductive health. Amendment 6 could also take away the health care coverage that teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, and many students currently have. DEFEATED

Question 3 allows doctors to recommend the use of medical marijuana to seriously ill patients. Patients will register with the state and receive an ID card which will allow them to legally obtain up to a 60 day supply of medical marijuana. Non-profit medical treatment centers, licensed by the state Department of Public Health, will be able to grow and sell medical marijuana in secure facilities. The Massachusetts Medical Marijuana initiative was drafted using the best practices from the 17 other states that currently have programs. PASSED

Question 2 allows an adult who is suffering from a terminal disease that will cause death within six months to obtain medication that the patient may self-administer to end his or her life in a humane and dignified manner. Safety measures include the requirement of two doctors determining the individual is mentally competent and the request for medication must be made on three separate occasions -- twice verbally and once in writing -- with at least one of the two required witnesses being a person who will not gain from the patients death. DEFEATED

Question 4 asks voters whether they are for or against recently enacted state legislation granting eligibility for in-state tuition rates to students, including undocumented immigrants, who attend high school in Maryland and meet other requirements. PASSED

Question 6 asks voters whether they are for or against the Civil Marriage Protection Act passed by the legislature and signed by the governor in March 2012. PASSED

Question 1 asks Maine voters whether they want to allow the state of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. PASSED

Amendment 1 asks voters whether the constitution should be amended to define marriage as between one man and one woman. DEFEATED

Amendment 2 would require voters to show government-issued photo ID to vote, which disproportionally affects elderly, disabled and military voters. It will jeopardize Minnesota's proud system of Election Day registration and absentee voting and cost our state millions of dollars. DEFEATED

LR-121 (HB 638) requires applicants for certain state-funded "services" to prove their citizenship or immigration status. Montana has one of the lowest immigration populations in the the nation, and the harms will fall principally on citizens who lack proof of status. PASSED

LR-120 (HB 627) would require a young woman to notify a parent before accessing abortion care, even if she comes from a violent, abusive, or neglectful home. PASSED

Amendment 5 establishes a fully-funded Public Defender Department and creates a statewide Public Defender Commission that are independent of the political executive branch, as prosecutors and judges already are. Currently one of only 8 states that do not provide statewide oversight to public defenders, by making the Public Defender an equal partner in the administration of justice, this amendment will bring New Mexico into line with national trends and standards. PASSED

Question 759 eliminates an important strategy for expanding opportunity in America by prohibiting the use of affirmative action in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting. State question 759 could prevent Oklahoma’s public colleges, employers and others from taking important steps to foster diversity and expand opportunity. PASSED

Measure 80 would decriminalize the personal use of marijuana for individuals aged 21 and older, subject to state regulation. DEFEATED

Initiative 502 would decriminalize the personal use of marijuana for individuals aged 21 and older, subject to stringent state regulation. Marijuana sales would be subject to a 25% sales tax with 40% of the new revenues going to the state general fund and local budgets, and the remainder dedicated to substance-abuse prevention, research, education and health care. PASSED

Referendum 74 asks voters whether they approve of the 2012 marriage law passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. PASSED

Election 2012: Civil Liberties Win Big on the Ballot

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