UPDATED 3/21/2024: Texas nonprofit progressive organization Ground Game has already gathered 13,000 signatures for a petition to adopt a ballot initiative to put marijuana decriminalization to a vote in the November election.
Decriminalization of marijuana has been a popular topic of discussion. But as the country at large has taken an increasingly moderate-to-progressive stance in recent years, legislation softening restrictions on weed in Texas has become much more likely to pass.
While pursuing charges for possessing low amounts of marijuana has become a low priority for Dallas Police Department, Black and Brown Dallasites are still more likely to be arrested than white counterparts. Black folks are vastly overrepresented in statistics, making up 69% of all low-level arrests.
The petition for the Dallas Freedom Act, which currently has 13,000 signatures of the required 35,000, has been steadily rising as organizers work to notarize and assist Dallas residents sign in-person at various events. Ground Game has also held in-person signing days at CBD shops such as Weed Spot in Deep Ellum and the Bishop Arts District. While the organization only needs around 20,000 additional signatures, they’re seeking 35,000 to ensure enough valid signatures have been obtained.
“We have a team of nearly 20 staffers all across Dallas and we’ve gotten a lot of local business support,” says Catina Voellinger, Chief Operating Officer of Ground Game. “We’re having all these conversations about what makes our communities safe […] and I think it’s a common sense thing. Cities are paying millions of dollars to enforce low-level drug offenses. We’d be saving all this public money and we’d be able to potentially redirect it into services that actually help community members.”
Last year, a study by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston showed that close to half of all Texans strongly support decriminalization. Similarly, 82% of Texans support legislation that would make medical marijuana legal.
The method of data collection for this study was an online survey for Texans over 18, assessing opinions in both English and Spanish among 1,200 respondents. The survey was also matched to a sampling frame with demographics representative of the population of Texas. Given specific data collected from demographics representative of Dallas, the measure could be held more favorably with city residents compared to the rest of the state. Especially considering that the city is less white and/or Republican than around half of the geographic areas surveyed.
Civic engagement through an easy draw – such as legislation that Texans across demographics have expressed support for – could easily be the first step to encouraging greater participation from the population overall. And as disenfranchised as Texans can be, one distinct power people of the state hold is the ability to vote on citizen-driven initiatives.
“This is exactly what our core mission is at Ground Game, to take these popular progressive issues and to bring that power directly to people. Because we know in Texas that the people who represent us don’t speak for us,” Catina says. “We’re trying to restore people’s faith in these institutions. Voter suppression is a real thing here, people have resigned because they feel like their vote doesn’t matter. From signing a petition [for an initiative], then us engaging [the signee] along the way, letting them know it’s on the ballot, and then voting on it in an election. That can be so powerful.”
As each city requires that ballot initiatives are petitioned with an according number of signatures, the only factor in achieving success are the necessary resources to rally support, file the proper paperwork, and communicate its viability to the public.
Ground Game recently started an anti-corruption campaign in the town of McAllen, introducing legislation limiting the amount of donations people could give to city council members. As towns face distinct challenges in local government, communities could feasibly adopt initiatives and rally support among members with adequate time and resources.
As political engagement among youth is at a high, organizers only face the potential challenge of inadequate support. This leaves a new wave of voters lacking the sense of empowerment necessary to get involved. Herein lies both the inherent challenge and the object of motivation for greater and more direct involvement through ballot initiatives. Especially those offering a remedy to local issues, whether they surround infrastructure, law enforcement, public resources, or campaign law.
The ballot initiative for marijuana decriminalization have most recently succeeded Lubbock and will be on the ballot this May. Ground Game is currently gathering signatures in Lockhart.