GRASSADELLIA CITY -- Voters in the nation's most-populous state approved a constitutional amendment Saturday to end a decades-old ban that prohibited state governors from serving two consecutive terms in office.
Voter turnout was low in Saturday's special state-wide referendum. Secretary of State Rob Mercheck estimated voter turnout at 52 percent with about 9.2 million votes.
With almost 56% of the vote (5.1 million votes), the "Yes" side, which was in favor of ending the ban on consecutive terms, easily defeated the "No" campaign, who voted to retain the one-term status quo.
The No campaign took 44%, or a little less than 4.1 million votes.
The issue of term limits for governors has been a hot-button issue in recent years. Nationalists, who far outnumber Conservatives in the state, had called for an end to the one-term rule, saying it hand-cuffed governors and prevented them from enacting substantive reforms that normally take more than one term to accomplish.
"Today's constitutional referendum result is a success for Damoign," said incumbent Governor Jenna Duvan, who supported ending the rule.
"Damoign was the only state in the country with a one-term rule, no other state has that restriction. This rule has hampered governors in the past from accomplishing large-scale reform. Damoign is a large state with 31 million people. There are some reforms that just can't be accomplished in a mere 4 years. This change in state law will allow governors to finally run for re-election, be evaluated on their records, and have more time to get their agenda achieved," said Duvan at a rally for "Yes" supporters in Middleboro.
The "No" campaign argued lifting the ban would allow Nationalists - who already hold significant power in the state government - to solidify their strength.
"It's just a power-grab by the Nationalist Party and Jenna Duvan, that's all it is," state Senator Joe Murino (C-Tolston) told the National Press Federation (NPF) after the votes were tallied.
"Jenna Duvan wanted to change the law so she can run for re-election and further cement her power. The Nationalists know they have the advantage in this state, and they know if they can lift the ban, then they can re-elect Nationalist governors over and over again and Conservatives will have an even more difficult time winning state-wide elections," Murino said.
While the lines were drawn largely along party lines, there was bipartisan support for each.
Many Conservatives, including former Governor Sid Hoffa, joined with Nationalists to support ending the ban.
"This isn't a partisan issue. It's not about Nationalists versus Conservatives. It's about giving a governor the executive power and authority he or she needs to get legislation passed and policy implemented," Hoffa told reporters at the victory rally in Middleboro.
"I respect my Conservative friends who disagree with me on this issue. I see their point of view, I hear their concerns, and I understand they are worried this will help the Nationalist Party. But this is not about party, this is about constitutional authority for governors, regardless of party. This change in the law will help Nationalists and Conservatives. Governors of both parties will benefit from this reform," added Hoffa.
Similarly, on the "No" side, some Nationalists joined Conservatives to oppose the change.
Opposition mainly came from hardline liberals, who are frustrated with mainstream Nationalist politicians whom they view as "too corporate" and compromised by big corporate money.
"The ban on governors running for re-election was put in place back in the 1980s because before we had the ban, we had governors who were corrupt and who had unchecked power," state Sen. Greg Kelley (N-Sexton).
"This ban on running for consecutive terms helped curtail that corruption. And now, the Nationalist Party basically wants to change the law because Jenna Duvan wants to run for a second term, and they know that this will benefit them politically, it's political opportunism," said Kelley.
"I don't care which party is in power in Mattinow. Unchecked power, corruption, graft, unregulated corporate influence, it will corrupt. The people will lose out."
The "Yes" team received the most support in Xavier County in southeast Damoign, with 78% voting in favor of changing the law.
Danderfield County, a Conservative stronghold in the state's southwest, had the highest support for the "No" side, with 77% voting against the proposal.
Though divisive, it is hoped by many that Saturday's referendum will put the issue to bed once and for all.
Damoign voters already voted in favor of lifting the ban back in 2016, with 56 percent voting in favor.
But in September 2017, the Damoign Supreme Court invalidated that election, saying the text in the state's constitution dealing with state-wide initiatives and constitutional amendments was vague and required clarification from lawmakers.
At the time, the constitution did not specify a minimum percentage of votes required to approve constitutional amendments, as all previous constitutional amendments had been approved through the legislature only.
The court asked the state legislature to "clarify" the exact threshold necessary to approve amendments, and then recommended holding a second referendum once the exact specifications were added to the constitution.
Months of legislative testimony and committee investigations led nowhere, however. Conservative state lawmakers demanded a 60% threshold be required to approve amendments in referendums, while Nationalists wanted an easier to attain simple majority.
With Conservative lawmakers digging their heels in and refusing to compromise, Governor Jenna Duvan and her NAT allies in the state legislature opted for a controversial next move.
NAT lawmakers voted to temporarily amend the state's constitution to require only a simple majority, with the 60% threshold going into effect in September 2019.
This allowed Duvan and her allies to put the referendum back to the voters (before September 2019), but only need a simple majority to approve the change in re-election rules.
This procedural run-around by Nationalists angered Conservatives, with state Sen. Rudy Ruppert (C-Middleboro) calling the June 29 referendum "a sham concocted by Nationalists to benefit Nationalists."
Resentment among Conservative lawmakers lingers in the state capitol of Mattinow, with many Conservative state representatives and senators walking out of the legislative chambers Friday in protest.
Nationalists say the change is controversial but in the voters' best interest.
"We trust the voters to elect their leaders. Voters are smart enough to choose a governor. They can decide for themselves if they want to re-elect a governor to a second term. If the governor is doing a bad job, the voters will elect someone else," said Sen. Nathan Demenlo (N-Limpet Village).
"This amendment really doesn't change much. It allows governors to run for re-election and back-to-back terms. That's it. It allows them to run. It doesn't mean they'll win," said Demenlo.
Saturday's win for the "Yes" campaign means Jenna Duvan will be permitted to run for a second term in September 2020.
While dissenting Conservatives can't prevent the constitutional amendment from taking effect, they can raise the issue on the campaign trail in 2020.
"Jenna Duvan got her way. She skirted around the voters, she went against precedent and tradition, and she and her NAT cronies found a circumventing way to pass their amendment. But she will have to answer to the voters in 2020. People will ask her, 'Why did you throw voters under the bus? Why did you go around the rules and the norms?' She will have to answer those questions and there are no good answers for them," state Conservative Party spokesman Michael Anlo said following the referendum's result.
Duvan shrugged off the criticism.
"This wasn't about me. This was about giving future governors the means to do their job effectively. The voters already voted in favor of this, 56 percent of them. So I'm standing up for voters by fighting for this change," said Duvan.
Voter turnout was low in Saturday's special state-wide referendum. Secretary of State Rob Mercheck estimated voter turnout at 52 percent with about 9.2 million votes.
With almost 56% of the vote (5.1 million votes), the "Yes" side, which was in favor of ending the ban on consecutive terms, easily defeated the "No" campaign, who voted to retain the one-term status quo.
The No campaign took 44%, or a little less than 4.1 million votes.
The issue of term limits for governors has been a hot-button issue in recent years. Nationalists, who far outnumber Conservatives in the state, had called for an end to the one-term rule, saying it hand-cuffed governors and prevented them from enacting substantive reforms that normally take more than one term to accomplish.
"Today's constitutional referendum result is a success for Damoign," said incumbent Governor Jenna Duvan, who supported ending the rule.
"Damoign was the only state in the country with a one-term rule, no other state has that restriction. This rule has hampered governors in the past from accomplishing large-scale reform. Damoign is a large state with 31 million people. There are some reforms that just can't be accomplished in a mere 4 years. This change in state law will allow governors to finally run for re-election, be evaluated on their records, and have more time to get their agenda achieved," said Duvan at a rally for "Yes" supporters in Middleboro.
The "No" campaign argued lifting the ban would allow Nationalists - who already hold significant power in the state government - to solidify their strength.
"It's just a power-grab by the Nationalist Party and Jenna Duvan, that's all it is," state Senator Joe Murino (C-Tolston) told the National Press Federation (NPF) after the votes were tallied.
"Jenna Duvan wanted to change the law so she can run for re-election and further cement her power. The Nationalists know they have the advantage in this state, and they know if they can lift the ban, then they can re-elect Nationalist governors over and over again and Conservatives will have an even more difficult time winning state-wide elections," Murino said.
While the lines were drawn largely along party lines, there was bipartisan support for each.
Many Conservatives, including former Governor Sid Hoffa, joined with Nationalists to support ending the ban.
"This isn't a partisan issue. It's not about Nationalists versus Conservatives. It's about giving a governor the executive power and authority he or she needs to get legislation passed and policy implemented," Hoffa told reporters at the victory rally in Middleboro.
"I respect my Conservative friends who disagree with me on this issue. I see their point of view, I hear their concerns, and I understand they are worried this will help the Nationalist Party. But this is not about party, this is about constitutional authority for governors, regardless of party. This change in the law will help Nationalists and Conservatives. Governors of both parties will benefit from this reform," added Hoffa.
Similarly, on the "No" side, some Nationalists joined Conservatives to oppose the change.
Opposition mainly came from hardline liberals, who are frustrated with mainstream Nationalist politicians whom they view as "too corporate" and compromised by big corporate money.
"The ban on governors running for re-election was put in place back in the 1980s because before we had the ban, we had governors who were corrupt and who had unchecked power," state Sen. Greg Kelley (N-Sexton).
"This ban on running for consecutive terms helped curtail that corruption. And now, the Nationalist Party basically wants to change the law because Jenna Duvan wants to run for a second term, and they know that this will benefit them politically, it's political opportunism," said Kelley.
"I don't care which party is in power in Mattinow. Unchecked power, corruption, graft, unregulated corporate influence, it will corrupt. The people will lose out."
The "Yes" team received the most support in Xavier County in southeast Damoign, with 78% voting in favor of changing the law.
Danderfield County, a Conservative stronghold in the state's southwest, had the highest support for the "No" side, with 77% voting against the proposal.
Though divisive, it is hoped by many that Saturday's referendum will put the issue to bed once and for all.
Damoign voters already voted in favor of lifting the ban back in 2016, with 56 percent voting in favor.
But in September 2017, the Damoign Supreme Court invalidated that election, saying the text in the state's constitution dealing with state-wide initiatives and constitutional amendments was vague and required clarification from lawmakers.
At the time, the constitution did not specify a minimum percentage of votes required to approve constitutional amendments, as all previous constitutional amendments had been approved through the legislature only.
The court asked the state legislature to "clarify" the exact threshold necessary to approve amendments, and then recommended holding a second referendum once the exact specifications were added to the constitution.
Months of legislative testimony and committee investigations led nowhere, however. Conservative state lawmakers demanded a 60% threshold be required to approve amendments in referendums, while Nationalists wanted an easier to attain simple majority.
With Conservative lawmakers digging their heels in and refusing to compromise, Governor Jenna Duvan and her NAT allies in the state legislature opted for a controversial next move.
NAT lawmakers voted to temporarily amend the state's constitution to require only a simple majority, with the 60% threshold going into effect in September 2019.
This allowed Duvan and her allies to put the referendum back to the voters (before September 2019), but only need a simple majority to approve the change in re-election rules.
This procedural run-around by Nationalists angered Conservatives, with state Sen. Rudy Ruppert (C-Middleboro) calling the June 29 referendum "a sham concocted by Nationalists to benefit Nationalists."
Resentment among Conservative lawmakers lingers in the state capitol of Mattinow, with many Conservative state representatives and senators walking out of the legislative chambers Friday in protest.
Nationalists say the change is controversial but in the voters' best interest.
"We trust the voters to elect their leaders. Voters are smart enough to choose a governor. They can decide for themselves if they want to re-elect a governor to a second term. If the governor is doing a bad job, the voters will elect someone else," said Sen. Nathan Demenlo (N-Limpet Village).
"This amendment really doesn't change much. It allows governors to run for re-election and back-to-back terms. That's it. It allows them to run. It doesn't mean they'll win," said Demenlo.
Saturday's win for the "Yes" campaign means Jenna Duvan will be permitted to run for a second term in September 2020.
While dissenting Conservatives can't prevent the constitutional amendment from taking effect, they can raise the issue on the campaign trail in 2020.
"Jenna Duvan got her way. She skirted around the voters, she went against precedent and tradition, and she and her NAT cronies found a circumventing way to pass their amendment. But she will have to answer to the voters in 2020. People will ask her, 'Why did you throw voters under the bus? Why did you go around the rules and the norms?' She will have to answer those questions and there are no good answers for them," state Conservative Party spokesman Michael Anlo said following the referendum's result.
Duvan shrugged off the criticism.
"This wasn't about me. This was about giving future governors the means to do their job effectively. The voters already voted in favor of this, 56 percent of them. So I'm standing up for voters by fighting for this change," said Duvan.
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