Abortion-rights activists score wins at state level

In the 2024 U.S. election. abortion-rights ballot measures passed in seven of ten states, including five won by Trump/Vance.

Abortion protest, New York, May 2022. Photo by Legoktm. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Pro-Choice Abortion Initiatives Pass in Seven Out of Ten States | Reason | Elizabeth Nolan Brown:

November 6, 2024 - "Measures meant to protect abortion access were approved by voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York.... Until yesterday, the pro-choice position [has] prevailed in every state where abortion-related measures were on the ballot, including in red states such as Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio. That ... pattern is broken somewhat by results in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota.... 

• In Florida, 57 percent of voters supported Amendment 4, an Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion ... but it falls short of the 60 percent approval threshold required for constitutional amendments in Florida.
• In Nebraska, 48.7 percent of voters approved the state's Right to Abortion measure, (Initiative 439), which would have amended the constitution to declare that 'all persons shall have a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability'.... [A] competing measure — Initiative 434 — passed 55.3 percent to 44.7 percent.... Initiative 434 ... allows for first trimester abortions but prohibits second and third trimester abortion unless 'necessitated by a medical emergency or when the pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest'....
• [I]n South Dakota — where it's currently criminal to perform an abortion or prescribe abortion medication unless a pregnant woman's life is at risk ... [v]oters rejected Amendment G — a citizen-led initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution— by almost 20 percentage points (with 87 percent of votes counted)..... 
• In Arizona, voters approved Proposition 139, a measure that enshrines a 'fundamental right' to abortion until fetal viability in the state's constitution. Abortion is currently legal in Arizona only until 15 weeks pregnancy. Voters rejected this status quo, with about 62 percent voting for Proposition 139 with 60 percent of votes tallied.
• In Missouri, where abortion is currently illegal except in medical emergencies, voters approved Amendment 3, a constitutional amendment declaring that 'the Government shall not deny or infringe upon a person's fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which is the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions'.... 
• In Maryland, where abortion is currently legal until fetal viability, voters overwhelmingly approved Question 1, also known as the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment. The tally was about 74 percent for and just 26 percent with three-quarters of votes counted. Initiated by state lawmakers, ... the amendment says 'the State may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge the right [to an abortion] unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means.'
• In Montana, where abortion is currently legal until fetal viability, voters approved The Right to Abortion Initiative, also known as CI-128. The measure will amend the state constitution to say 'there is a right to make and carry out decisions about one's own pregnancy, including the right to abortion,' and 'this right shall not be denied or burdened unless justified by a compelling government interest achieved by the least restrictive means'....
• In Nevada, where abortion is now legal until 24 weeks pregnancy, voters approved Question 6.... The measure states that the right to an abortion 'shall not be denied, burdened, or infringed upon unless justified by a compelling state interest that is achieved by the least restrictive means.' With 84 percent of Nevada votes counted, it was up 63.3 percent to 36.7 percent. However, it must pass again in 2026 to be enacted.
• In Colorado, where abortion is currently legal throughout pregnancy, voters passed Amendment 79.... The measure repeals a 1984 amendment prohibiting the use of public funds for abortion and creates a new constitutional amendment stating that 'the right to abortion is hereby recognized. Government shall not deny, impede, or discriminate against the exercise of that right, including prohibiting health insurance coverage for abortion'....

"Trump won Florida, Missouri, and Montana and ... Arizona and Nevada ... yet a majority of voters in these states, too, opted to support legal abortion."

Read more: https://reason.com/2024/11/06/pro-choice-abortion-initiatives-pass-in-seven-out-of-ten-states/

Maryland LP collects 7,000 sigs to make ballot

Libertarian Presidential Candidate Delivers Signatures for Maryland Ballot | Maryland Matters - Hannah Gaskill:

August 5, 2020 - "Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen presented more than 7,000 signatures to the State Board of Elections Monday, which she hopes will more than fulfill Maryland’s requirement to appear on the state ballot for president.... About 30 people lined the sidewalks of Annapolis’ West Street as Jorgensen exited a big blue campaign bus adorned with her face. Bob Johnston, chair of the Libertarian Party of Maryland, followed as she walked to the Board of Elections office, three cardboard beer boxes of petitions in tow, bearing 7,731 signatures. The minimum requirement for third party candidates in Maryland is 5,000 valid voter signatures.

"According to Joe Bishop-Henchman, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, Jorgensen has qualified to appear on the ballot in 42 of 50 states. Bishop-Henchman said the party is still working toward meeting requirements in the other eight states....

"Addressing her supporters in a parking garage near the State Board of Elections office, Jorgensen thanked volunteers for pushing for her to be on the ballot.

"'It’s just so important to be on the ballot in all 50 states,” she said, 'because right now the status quo is giving us the impression that we have an alternative — that we have a choice, but we’ve got two big government people, they both want to increase spending, they both want to take away your decision-making power and neither one wants to bring the troops home, so the only way to get that choice to every American is to be on the ballot in all 50 states.'

"Twice in her interview with Maryland Matters Jorgensen asserted that, if she were in the Oval Office, her first priority would be 'bringing the troops home — day one. Because that’s something I can do myself,' she said. 'I don’t need Congress to do that. I don’t need their help to do that.' She also recommended bringing overseas troops home as one solution to America’s major economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus crisis.

"Despite its effect on every aspect of American life, the pandemic has not slowed Jorgensen. Annapolis was one of her first stops along her '20-city, 16-day bus tour,' going as far west as Kansas City, Mo. and Dallas, Tx. Jorgensen jabbed at presumptive Democratic Nominee Joe Biden (D) for being 'locked up in his basement giving Zoom interviews' while she is traveling around the country.

"Jorgensen said the date of the election should not be moved. 'We’ve been through much worse than this in our country,' she said. 'And I just want to point out that my goal as president would be to make government so small that it wouldn’t even matter if people forgot to vote, that they could make their own choices in health care, environment, health, education, and so on, and that they wouldn’t even worry about who was in the White House'.... She criticized the current administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that Trump should have lifted FDA restrictions on U.S.-made test kits and promoted testing for asymptomatic citizens."

Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2020/08/05/libertarian-presidential-candidate-delivers-signatures-for-maryland-ballot/  

Maryland lowers ballot access signature bar

Ballot Access Requirement for Maryland Green, Libertarian Parties Cut in Half | Maryland Matters -  Danielle E. Gaines:

June 20, 2020 - "The petition requirement for Maryland’s Green and Libertarian parties to gain ballot access for the November general election has been slashed in half. The parties will have until Aug. 3 to turn in 5,000 valid signatures from registered voters, down from the statutory requirement of 10,000.

"The state’s leading third parties filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to reduce the requirement late last month, arguing that the state’s springtime stay-at-home order and social distancing guidelines made it impossible for them to exercise their First Amendment rights.The parties had sought to reduce the requirement to 1,000 valid signatures. A settlement agreement was filed in the court on Friday....

"The state board approved a policy change in late April to allow parties and candidates to collect signatures electronically during the COVID-19 pandemic....

"The Libertarian Party of Maryland has collected about 3,000 signatures so far and hopes to collect another 4,000 before the August deadline, Bob Johnston, the party’s state chair, said. The party has some petitioners working on the ground now and hopes to add more soon.

"The national party is committed to 50-state ballot access for the Libertarian presidential ticket, which will help the party’s cause in Maryland, but getting signatures will still be difficult with most of the large festivals that petitioners used to visit still canceled, Johnston said.

"'The people who have been telling us to socially distance, are now telling us to go collect signatures. …It’s really putting us in a bind,' he said."

Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/blog/ballot-access-requirement-for-green-libertarian-parties-cut-in-half/

1st US psychedelic research center founded

First US Center for Psychedelic Research a 'Game Changer' - Megan Brooks, Medscape:

December 2, 2019 - "A group of private benefactors has donated $17 million to fund the first psychedelic research center in the United States.

"The Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, 'reflects a new era of research in therapeutics and the mind through studying this unique and remarkable class of pharmacological compounds," 'Roland Griffiths, PhD, the center's director, said in a statement. 'We've been conducting research with psychedelics at Johns Hopkins for almost the last 20 years, but funding has not been forthcoming from federal sources as yet so the work has primarily been supported by philanthropy,' ... and this 'very large philanthropic gift has allowed the establishment of the first center for psychedelic research in the United States,' said Griffiths.

"The center's operational expenses for the first 5 years will be covered by private funding from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and four philanthropists, including author and investor Tim Ferriss; Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress; Blake Mycoskie, founder of the shoe brand TOMS; and investor Craig Nerenberg.

"The funding will support a team of six faculty neuroscientists, experimental psychologists, and clinicians with expertise in psychedelic science, as well as five postdoctoral scientists. The faculty will train graduate and medical students who want to pursue careers in psychedelic science, where historically there have been few avenues for career advancement.

"Initial priority projects include researching the potential of psilocybin as a therapy for anorexia nervosa, early stage Alzheimer's disease, opioid use disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), posttreatment Lyme disease, and alcohol use disorder comorbid with depression. Based on research to date, the nature of the changes that occur during a psilocybin session would appear to have 'transdiagnostic generality' across a range of mental health and behavioral conditions, Griffiths said.

"He added that there are 'very strong preliminary signals' that psilocybin is an effective treatment for cancer patients who are anxious or depressed. 'We also have promising efficacy data in people with major depression as well as treatment-resistant depression; and we have indication of potential efficacy across a range of substance use disorders, including alcohol and cocaine abuse and cigarette smoking,' he said....

"For patients with depression secondary to a diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease, Griffiths said his team 'strongly suspects' psilocybin will be effective at least for the mood disorder 'but, of course, the really interesting thing would be whether there is any change in cognitive function.' 'The emerging data with psilocybin and other psychedelics is that they may produce neuroplastic changes, they may end up rewiring the brain in ways we simply don't understand,' Griffiths added."

Read more: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921986
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20K registered Libertarians in Maryland, but LP loses party status

Green and Libertarian parties are technically no longer recognized in Maryland. Here's why. - Baltimore Sun - Lillian Reed:

March 20, 2019 - "Maryland voters registered as members of the Green and Libertarian parties may have received a letter in the mail stating their party is no longer recognized by the state.... The letter states that the Green and Libertarian parties each lost their status as a recognized political party in Maryland. That means registered members of both parties had their affiliation automatically changed from Green and Libertarian to 'Other-Green' and 'Other-Libertarian,' respectively....

"For a political party to appear on a ballot in Maryland, it must ... nominate a candidate who receives at least 1 percent of the total vote for the highest office on the ballot in a statewide general election, or show that the party represents at least 1 percent of the state’s registered voters.

"The state, which evaluates each political party’s status every four years, found in December that the Green and Libertarian parties had not fulfilled either of the two provisions, said Donna Duncan, assistant deputy for election policy with the State Board of Elections.

"The Libertarians filed a lawsuit Dec. 27 against the state. The party’s Maryland spokesman Lorenzo Gaztañaga called the state’s decision to remove the party from ballots a 'waste of resources' over what is ultimately a technicality, he said.

"To regain its status, the party must submit a petition with 10,000 signatures pledging interest in seeing the party appear on the ballot. In the lawsuit, Libertarians are arguing that the petition should be unnecessary given that there were already more than 20,000 registered Libertarians in Maryland, Gaztañaga said....

"The Maryland Green Party supports the aim of the Libertarians’ lawsuit. In past years, Green Party leadership has sought to change Maryland’s laws from requiring the party to represent 1 percent of registered voters to instead requiring it to represent 10,000 registered voters, said Andy Ellis, secretary for the Maryland Green Party. Prior to losing its status, the Maryland Green Party had about 9,200 registered voters, Ellis said....

"Maryland voting laws create a disadvantage for candidates who wish to run for office as a member of the Green Party, Ellis said. 'We'd like to be recruiting candidates right now, but candidates can't file with us at the moment,' he said....

"Both Ellis and Gaztañaga were confident their respective parties will regain recognition in Maryland, regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit."

Read more: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-green-libertarian-party-20190319-story.html

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Maryland LP stays on ballot; first time in 44 years

Maryland LP retains ballot access for first time | Libertarian Party:

November 12, 2014 - "For the first time in its history, the Maryland Libertarian Party met the vote test to retain ballot access.

"It was also the first time in 44 years that any challenge party in the state was able to retain ballot access.

"Gubernatorial candidate Shawn Quinn and candidate for lieutenant governor Lorenzo Gaztanaga received 1.5 percent of the vote last Tuesday, and the state party will appear on the ballot in 2016.

"In Maryland, the top-of-the-ticket candidate must get 1 percent, or the party must have at least 1 percent of the registered voters on the last day of the year to continue as a recognized party. In 2016, the LP presidential candidate must get at least 1 percent.

"Because of restrictive ballot access laws, no alternative party candidate had run for statewide office between 1970 and 2002, when Spear Lancaster ran for governor as a Libertarian. In addition to having to collect 10,000 signatures, non-Democrat/Republican candidates also had to petition individually to get on the ballot, which during Lancaster's campaign required more than 34,000 signatures. The individual candidate petition was struck down the next year by the highest court in the state, and now candidates can get on the ballot as long as the party has ballot access."

Read more: http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/maryland-lp-retains-ballot-access-for-first-time

Libertarian highlights from the 2014 midterms

Libertarian Election Results 2014 - J. Wilson, A Libertarian Future:

November 5, 2014 - "Libertarian candidates may not have won very many elections this year, but we’ve had some high percentage victories. In some states, that means we’ll get the ballot access we deserve for the next election. Guaranteed ballot access is important because it’s time and money that we won’t have to waste next time. Libertarians will be able to spend more time and money campaigning, and less time getting arbitrary signature counts.

"These high percentage Libertarian election results also send a clear message to both of the two parties. Voting Libertarian tells them they won’t receive our consent, and will have to work harder if they ever want our votes. If they don’t, we’re more than happy to keep voting Libertarian.

"These Libertarian election results show just how many Americans are fed up with the two party system and want a third major party.

• Top Voter Percentage: Randall Lord from Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District with 26.56% (55,224 votes) 
• Runner Up: Lucas Overby from Florida’s 13th Congressional District with 24.75% (55,273 votes) 
• Top Vote Total: Adrian Wyllie for Governor of Florida with 222,565 votes (3.75% of the vote) 
• Runner Up: Bill Wohlsifer for Attorney General of Florida with 168,946 votes (2.9% of the vote) 

"Ballot Access: Hawaii, for winning more than 4% of the vote in all State Senate races. Maryland, for winning more than 1% in the Governor’s Race. Mississippi, for winning more than 2% of the vote in House elections. North Dakota, for winning more than 5% of the vote in a Statewide Race. Utah, for winning more than 2% in a Statewide office. Wisconsin, for receiving more than 1% of the vote in a Statewide Race. Wyoming, for winning more than 2% of the vote in the House election....

"More to come!"

Read more: http://alibertarianfuture.com/2014-election/libertarian-election-results-2014/#sthash.ToC0ljkF.dpbs
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Libertarians endow U of Maryland business centre

Libertarian donors fund new research center at UM's business school - Baltimore Sun - Carrie Wells:

October 27, 2014 - "A foundation led by the owner of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team and the Charles Koch Foundation have pledged $6 million to create a new center that will study enterprise and markets at the University of Maryland's business school.

The center will be dubbed the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets after a $5 million donation by Ed Snider, a Maryland alumn[us] and chairman of Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the Flyers.

"With another $1 million from the Koch Foundation, the university can hire three professors and a managing director, in addition to support staff, five doctoral candidates and four post-doctoral fellows.

"Koch and his brother David run Koch Industries, an oil, gas, and chemical conglomerate that is the country's second-largest privately held company.

"The Koch brothers are known for financially backing libertarian and free-market organizations, supporting conservative political causes, and helping to found other economic and policy think tanks like the conservative Cato Institute....

"University of Maryland officials said the center will conduct its hiring and research independently of the donors. The $5 million gift from the Snider Foundation is the second-largest in the business school's history after the $15 million naming grant from Robert H. Smith in 1997....

"Snider, who recently recovered from cancer, also is known for his libertarian views. He helped found the Ayn Rand Institute and was executive producer of the film 'Atlas Shrugged: Part I,' based on one of the libertarian author's books."

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-um-snider-center-20141027-story.html 

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Recreational marijuana, gay marriage backed in historic U.S. votes

Recreational marijuana, gay marriage backed in historic U.S. votes - World - CBC News:

November 7, 2012 - "Maine and Maryland became the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote, while Washington state and Colorado set up a showdown with federal authorities by legalizing recreational use of marijuana....

"The results in Maine and Maryland broke a 32-state streak, dating back to 1998, in which gay marriage had been rebuffed by every state that held a vote on it. They will become the seventh and eighth states to allow same-sex couples to marry....

"The marijuana measures in Colorado and Washington will likely pose a headache for the U.S. Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which consider pot an illegal drug. The Department of Justice has declined to say how it would respond if the measures were approved."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/11/06/us-election-ballot-initiatives-sidebar.html?cmp=rss
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Gary Johnson encourages Maryland voters to pass gay marriage law

Gary Johnson encourages Maryland voters to pass gay marriage law - San Antonio Libertarian | Examiner.com - Joel Palmer::

October 12, 2012 - "On Thursday, Libertarian Presidential nominee Gary Johnson endorsed the passage of Maryland's Civil Marriage Protection Act. The Civil Marriage Protection Act will be on the ballot in Maryland in November.

Johnson said: 'Maryland voters will have a great opportunity to place a key state firmly on the side of equality, nondiscrimination, and the freedom of individuals to make their own decisions about who they choose to marry'."

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/gary-johnson-encourages-maryland-voters-to-pass-gay-marriage-law
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