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Challenging Ballot Measures. New Strategies from BISC’s Ballot Integrity Program. 2008: $100 Million Spent for Defense. But It Could Have Been a Lot More. The Goals of Ballot Integrity. Reduce the threats to the Progressive Community before they qualify Pre-Qualification Plans
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Challenging Ballot Measures New Strategies from BISC’s Ballot Integrity Program
The Goals of Ballot Integrity • Reduce the threats to the Progressive Community before they qualify • Pre-Qualification Plans • Legal Challenges • Change the infrastructure conducive to fraud • Legislative and regulatory reform • Building OUR infrastructure
Pre-Qual: Is It for You? • Timeline • Is the timeline short enough that fraud will be a factor? • Opposition Resources • Can the bad guys overwhelm your effort? • Polling • Would you spend less to defeat the measure than you would to stop it from qualifying? • National Picture of Petitioner Movement • Which states are behind you in line?
Case Studies • Successful Strategies • Opposition research and earned media reframing the debate around the proponents of conservative initiatives • Utilizing delay tactics and leveraging relationships with key elected officials • Why Some Don’t Work • Pre-qualification programs are only as good as the existing laws in any particular state • What May Be a Problem in the Future? • Case law is invalidating many of the protections that state’s currently employ to fight fraud • Some elected allies are uncomfortable with changing the system
Opposition Reaction • Starting Earlier to Fight Our Delay Tactics • Pushing Back Using Paid and Earned Media During Pre-Qualification • Hidingthe Money Behind These Initiatives • What Might They Do Next? • Begin to push their own reform efforts that would negate pre-qualification programs • Bring in good government groups as their allies