Prop*50

Colorado ballot finalized

Secretary of State Bernie Buescher announced yesterday that Proposition 102 has qualified for the November ballot.  Prop. 102 is an initiative that would restrict the use of pretrial release programs under certain circumstances, requiring that defendants arrested for anything other than a nonviolent misdemeanor and first-time offense can only be released on a secured bond.

This brings the total number of measures on Colorado's ballot to nine.  Six of those are initiatives; the other three were referred to the ballot by the Legislature.

Oregon: 2 initiatives qualify for the ballot

The Oregon secretary of state announced today that two initiatives have qualified for the ballot:

• Petition 13 would impose mandatory minimum sentences for certain felony sex crimes and DUI convictions.  It's sponsor is former legislator Kevin Mannix, who has sponsored a number of anti-crime initiatives in Oregon.  Most recently, he sponsored Measures 60 and 61 in 2008, both of which failed to pass.
• Petition 28 would allow the creation of dispensaries to sell medical marijuana.  The use of medical marijuana is already legal in Oregon, but its sale is not.

Three more initiatives are in the signature verification stage, and results for all will be announced no later than August 1.