As Voters Across US Weigh New Rights, Maine Says Yes to Food

November 3, 2021by David A. Lieb and Patrick Whittle, Associated Press
As Voters Across US Weigh New Rights, Maine Says Yes to Food
Volunteers Holly Roberts, right, and Terry Lord pick fruit to be bagged and given away at a food pantry at the First Universalist Church in Norway, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

The right to food won rave reviews Tuesday from Maine voters, who passed the nation’s first guarantee for people to grow, harvest and eat according to their own wishes.

The Maine ballot measure was one of several in states seeking to create new constitutional rights touching on an array of issues. Some were a response to policies put in place during the coronavirus pandemic, including a pair of Texas proposals limiting restrictions on religious gatherings and nursing home visits.

Maine’s unique measure declares individuals have an “unalienable right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing.” It passed comfortably.

“It’s always a good idea to secure and protect an individual right in the world we live in. Food is life,” said Democratic state Sen. Craig Hickman, a supporter of the proposal. “I don’t understand why anyone would be afraid of saying so out loud in the constitution.”

Opponents had worried the measure might lead some people to try to raise cattle in cities.

In Texas, early results showed strong support for an amendment creating a constitutional right for residents in nursing homes and other group-living facilities to designate an “essential caregiver,” who could continue to visit even if the general public is barred from the facility. The amendment would add heft to a similar law enacted earlier this year in Texas.

Like his counterparts elsewhere, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott barred nursing homes from admitting visitors as COVID-19 cases surged in facilities last year. The precaution, which lasted for months, was intended to save lives. It also left elderly residents unable to connect with family and friends.

“Besides the tragedy of very sick people and death, the saddest story that we heard from our constituents was the fact that they could not see their mother, their father, their grandfather, their grandmother, their aunt, uncle, brother or sister in the nursing homes,” said Texas state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican who sponsored the amendment. “It was just something that really just tore at our hearts.”

Another Texas amendment would prohibit governments from limiting religious services. It’s a backlash to public health orders in some large cities and counties that restricted the number of people who could gather indoors at the onset of the pandemic.

In another pandemic-related issue, early election results showed Colorado voters leaning against a constitutional amendment requiring legislative approval for the state to spend money received from outside sources, such as the federal government or legal settlements. A conservative group sponsored the initiative after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis used his executive powers to distribute nearly $1.7 billion of federal COVID-19 relief funds in May 2020.

Early results also showed the opposition leading on a Colorado proposal to raise the sales tax on marijuana to fund out-of-school programs, such as tutoring, technical skill training, mental health counseling and enrichment programs in the arts.

In New Jersey, the “no” votes were leading in early returns on a question of whether to expand sports betting — which already is generally legal — to include college games that take place in the state or involve New Jersey colleges.

In New York, voters were deciding whether to make a pandemic voting policy permanent. The state constitution limits absentee voting to those who are ill, physically disabled or out of town on Election Day. But last year, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a temporary law allowing anyone to vote absentee rather than risk exposure to the coronavirus at polling sites. Nearly 2 million people cast absentee ballots in the November 2020 election— more than 20% of New York’s total votes.

The amendment would delete the constitutional limitations on absentee voting, bringing New York in line with two-thirds of states that already allow no-excuse absentee voting or automatically send mail-in ballots to voters.

Another New York amendment would repeal a constitutional requirement that voters register at least 10 days before an election. That would allow the Legislature to authorize registration on the same day as voting, which already is legal in 20 states.

“New York’s constitution has barriers that have prevented the state from bringing its elections up to date,” said Patrick Berry, a Democracy Program counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. The ballot measures provide an “opportunity to break down those barriers,” he said.

A separate constitutional amendment could immediately affect New York’s process for redrawing voting districts for the U.S. House and state legislative chambers based on 2020 census data. A commission charged with recommending maps has splintered along partisan lines this fall. The ballot measure, among other things, would make it easier for the Democratic-led Legislature to pass new maps.

Another New York measure would create a right to “clean air and water” and “a healthful environment.” It marks a resurgence of an environmental movement dating to 1970, when Illinois adopted the first constitutional duty to maintain “a healthful environment.” A Pennsylvania amendment approved the next year provided a specific right to “clean air” and “pure water.” Other states with environmental rights in their constitutions include Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana and Rhode Island.

___

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

A+
a-
  • 2021 elections
  • politics
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Political News

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Elections Task Force Prosecutes 2020 ‘Vigilantes,’ Seeks More Civic Dialogue

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to... Read More

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to an Arizona election official. The sentencing of Joshua Russell, of Bucyrus, Ohio, came after he pleaded guilty to one count of making a threatening interstate communication.... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Vice President Harris Rolls Out First Government-Wide Policy to Mitigate AI Risks

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the risks associated with artificial intelligence while still enabling its use to advance the public interest. The new policy, which is being issued through the White House... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    New Dem Chair Kuster Announces Retirement Following 2024 Election

    CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition... Read More

    CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition in the House, revealed Wednesday that she will not seek reelection to Congress this year. In a lengthy statement released by her office, Kuster gives no... Read More

    March 25, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    CPAC Releases Ranking of Most Conservative Members of Congress

    WASHINGTON — The Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, on Monday released its annual ranking of members of... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, on Monday released its annual ranking of members of the House and Senate based on their conservative bona fides or lack thereof. To produce this year’s scorecard, the CPAC foundation’s Center for Legislative Accountability analyzed... Read More

    March 22, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    After a Decade on Capitol Hill, Brad Howard Steps Out on His Own

    WASHINGTON — After a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla.,... Read More

    WASHINGTON — After a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and communications director of the Blue Dog Coalition, Brad Howard knew it was time for change. “It was time to move into the private sector,” he... Read More

    March 22, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Greene Files Motion to Vacate Speaker’s Chair

    WASHINGTON — For the second time in five months, a member of the Republican Conference in the House has filed... Read More

    WASHINGTON — For the second time in five months, a member of the Republican Conference in the House has filed a motion to vacate the chair of the party’s speaker. But this time, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., says the motion is intended merely as a... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top