D.C. Corporate Contributions Petition Won't Be On November Ballot

Community activists who want to keep corporate money out of D.C. elections have succeeded in their latest court action, but they've failed in their effort to get their proposal on the November 6 ballot, the Washington Post reports.  

Initiative 70 would ban direct corporate contributions to D.C. election campaigns, constituent services funds and inaugural activities.

The sponsors of the initiative, D.C. Public Trust, will get four more weeks to examine thousands of signatures it earlier presented to the Board of Elections to put Initiative 70 on the November ballot, according to a decision by D.C Superior Court Judge Laura Cordero.

The Board of Elections rejected many of the signatures in August, prompting a legal fight.  Now, with so little time before ballots are printed, even if organizers can prove they have enough valid signatures, it will be too late to put the measure before voters in November. 

Still, they hope to validate the more than 23,000 signatures required, so they won't have to start their ballot effort all over again in the future, according to Post reporter Tim Craig.