Right to eat, worship among measures weighed by US voters

Food was faring good successful Maine connected Tuesday arsenic predetermination results showed voters backing a first-of-its-kind law amendment guaranteeing residents the close to grow, harvest and devour according to their ain wishes.

Voters successful respective U.S. states were weighing successful connected initiatives seen arsenic a effect to policies enactment successful spot during the pandemic, including successful Texas, wherever aboriginal results showed enactment for a brace of amendments that would bounds restrictions connected spiritual gatherings and nursing location visits.

Maine's unsocial measurement declares individuals person an “unalienable close to grow, raise, harvest, nutrient and devour the nutrient of their ain choosing.” It was good ahead, with two-thirds of the precincts reporting results.

“It’s ever a bully thought to unafraid and support an idiosyncratic close successful the satellite we unrecorded in. Food is life,” said Democratic authorities Sen. Craig Hickman, a protagonist of the proposal. “I don’t recognize wherefore anyone would beryllium acrophobic of saying truthful retired large successful the constitution.”

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Opponents had disquieted the measurement mightiness pb immoderate radical to effort to rise cattle successful cities.

In Texas, aboriginal results showed beardown enactment for an amendment creating a law close for residents successful nursing homes and different group-living facilities to designate an “essential caregiver,” who could proceed to sojourn adjacent if the wide nationalist is barred from the facility. The amendment would adhd heft to a akin instrumentality enacted earlier this twelvemonth successful Texas.

Like his counterparts elsewhere, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott barred nursing homes from admitting visitors arsenic COVID-19 cases surged successful facilities past year. The precaution, which lasted for months, was intended to prevention lives. It besides near aged residents incapable to link with household and friends.

“Besides the calamity of precise sick radical and death, the saddest communicative that we heard from our constituents was the information that they could not spot their mother, their father, their grandfather, their grandmother, their aunt, uncle, member oregon sister successful the nursing homes,” said Texas authorities Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican who sponsored the amendment. “It was conscionable thing that truly conscionable tore astatine our hearts.”

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Another Texas amendment would prohibit governments from limiting spiritual services. It's a backlash to nationalist wellness orders successful immoderate ample cities and counties that restricted the fig of radical who could stitchery indoors astatine the onset of the pandemic.

In different pandemic-related issue, aboriginal predetermination results showed Colorado voters leaning against a law amendment requiring legislative support for the authorities to walk wealth received from extracurricular sources, specified arsenic the national authorities oregon ineligible settlements. A blimpish radical sponsored the inaugural aft Democratic Gov. Jared Polis utilized his enforcement powers to administer astir $1.7 cardinal of national COVID-19 alleviation funds successful May 2020.

Early results besides showed the absorption starring connected a Colorado connection to rise the income taxation connected marijuana to money out-of-school programs, specified arsenic tutoring, method accomplishment training, intelligence wellness counseling and enrichment programs successful the arts.

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In New Jersey, aboriginal results showed the “no” votes starring connected a question of whether to grow sports betting — which already is mostly ineligible — to see assemblage games that instrumentality spot successful the authorities oregon impact New Jersey colleges.

In New York, voters were deciding whether to marque a pandemic voting argumentation permanent. The authorities constitution limits absentee voting to those who are ill, physically disabled oregon retired of municipality connected Election Day. But past year, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a impermanent instrumentality allowing anyone to ballot absentee alternatively than hazard vulnerability to the coronavirus astatine polling sites. Nearly 2 cardinal radical formed absentee ballots successful the November 2020 election— much than 20% of New York's full votes.

The amendment would delete the law limitations connected absentee voting, bringing New York successful enactment with two-thirds of states that already let no-excuse absentee voting oregon automatically nonstop mail-in ballots to voters.

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Another New York amendment would repeal a law request that voters registry astatine slightest 10 days earlier an election. That would let the Legislature to authorize registration connected the aforesaid time arsenic voting, which already is ineligible successful 20 states.

“New York’s constitution has barriers that person prevented the authorities from bringing its elections up to date," said Patrick Berry, a Democracy Program counsel astatine the Brennan Center for Justice. The ballot measures supply an "opportunity to interruption down those barriers,” helium said.

A abstracted law amendment could instantly impact New York's process for redrawing voting districts for the U.S. House and authorities legislative chambers based connected 2020 census data. A committee charged with recommending maps has splintered on partisan lines this fall. The ballot measure, among different things, would marque it easier for the Democratic-led Legislature to walk caller maps.

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Another New York measurement would make a close to “clean aerial and water” and “a healthful environment.” It marks a resurgence of an biology question dating to 1970, erstwhile Illinois adopted the archetypal law work to support “a healthful environment.” A Pennsylvania amendment approved the adjacent twelvemonth provided a circumstantial close to “clean air" and "pure water." Other states with biology rights successful their constitutions see Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana and Rhode Island.

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David A. Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. Patrick Whittle contributed from Portland, Maine.

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