Government
How Coronavirus Is Killing Off Ballot Measures
Campaign events are canceled, canvassers are homebound, and ballot initiatives are stalled as coronavirus lockdowns limit voter-led democratic efforts.
Right now, Melissa Lavasani expected to be going door-to-door collecting signatures for Decriminalize Nature D.C., the campaign to stop arrests for the possession or growing of psychedelic plants that she launched in the District last December. She needs to gather at least 35,000 signatures by July 6 to get the measure onto D.C.’s ballot for the November election.
But with the city under a stay-at-home order, her campaign’s on hold. Lavasani fears that without the ability to do field work, Decriminalize Nature’s 2020 campaign will fail to qualify — a looming worry shared by proponents of ballot measures, initiatives, and referendums in states and cities across the country.