Ballot Measures

Every year, thousands of ballot measures are placed before voters on important public policy issues. Twenty-four states and hundreds of cities and counties authorize the initiative petition for citizens to directly place ordinances, statutes, and amendments on the ballot.

Many jurisdictions also allow citizens to use referendum petitions to place legislative enactments before voters for an up-or-down vote.

We have worked on dozens of initiative petition, referendum petition, and ballot measure campaigns, providing a wide range of legal service for those supporting or opposing ballot propositions, including:

Drafting initiative and referendum petitions

Preparing fiscal impact and public policy white papers of ballot propositions

Securing (or contesting) approval of initiative petition format, ballot title, and fiscal summary with state or local election authorities

Conducting ballot measure litigation, recounts, and challenges

Setting up ballot measure campaign committees and not for profit organizations

Advising on campaign finance law and other legal compliance

Counseling on signature gathering law, signature collection venue access, and signature turn-in compliance

Combating competing measures, whether originating in the legislature or by initiative petition

Providing active campaign management for select ballot proposition campaigns

Ballot Measure Consultations

Ballot measures put critical public policy directly before voters. Whether you are supporting or opposing a measure, don’t do it without counsel.