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Enjoy this brief, 3.5 min Freedom YTReferendum in Donbass with huge participation of local residents

The referendum ascertains three sequential decisions: secession of territories from Ukraine; formation of an independent state; and its entry into the Russian Federation as a subject. The referendum on September 23-27 in the Donbass and southern Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of Ukraine on their accession to Russian Federation is, prima facie, an exercise of the right of self-determination by the native population who reject the Western-backed regime change in Kiev in 2014 and the ascendancy of extreme nationalist forces with neo-Nazi leanings in the power structure. But it has other dimensions, too. In all probability, the referendum will overwhelmingly opt...

STORY: Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces are set to hold referendums between 23 and 27 September. Vladimir Vysotsky, the voting chief, showed reporters ballot boxes made of clear plastic, promising the voting process would be “just as transparent”. The stations Vysotsky visited on Thursday were, according to his estimation, 100% ready for polling. ...

Starting last month Ukrainian lawmakers began seeking to implement severe consequences for those participating in Russia-sponsored referendums in occupied territories of Ukraine. For example, a law is being pushed through parliament which criminalizes obtaining a Russian passport in temporarily occupied territories, Ukrainian sources reported last week, according to Yahoo News. Proposed possible punishments have included losing Ukrainian citizenship, or even lengthy jail sentences. But other officials have argued for a more compromising approach given the necessity of survival in occupied areas. But now the Ukrainian government has reiterated its willingness to impose steep penalties for even participating in any Kremlin-sponsored...

Russian-backed officials in several parts of Ukraine have announced plans to hold referenda on joining Russia. Ukraine has slammed the upcoming votes as fake attempt to legitimize Russia’s invasion and slammed the prospect of “sham” ballots. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Russian producers of military equipment to up their production and supplies to Russian troops. Putin was also set to give a major speech to the country on Tuesday — only to later postpone it until Wednesday without explanation.

Pro-Kremlin separatist officials in Ukraine’s Kherson region announced on Tuesday they will hold a referendum this week to become part of Russia. The leaders called on Moscow to endorse the referendum results immediately, according to Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed leader of Kherson. Saldo said in a Telegram post that he was hopeful Kherson would vote to be "a part of Russia, a fully-fledged subject of a united country.” Russian news agencies stated that the referendum would occur between September 23 and 27, and would be similar to other votes in regions of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops, Reuters reported. .....

A representative of the Moscow-installed military administration in the occupied parts of Ukraine's Kherson region says a referendum on joining Russia has been postponed as Ukrainian armed forces continue military operations aimed at regaining control over the area. "We have prepared for the voting, and we wanted to hold the referendum in the nearest future, but due to the developments happening at the moment, I think we will pause [with the referendum]," the Russian-appointed deputy governor of Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, told the TASS news agency on September 5. Kherson, an important port city on the Black Sea, has been fully...

A Russian-installed official in Ukraine's Kherson region said on Monday that plans for a referendum on joining Russia had been "paused" due to the security situation, the Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported. Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-appointed military-civilian regional administration, also said the vital Antonivskyi road bridge, which crosses the Dnipro river near Kherson city, was impassable to cars after weeks of Ukrainian shelling. Russian-installed officials had previously suggested that referendums on joining Russia would be held in September in Kherson, as well as in neighbouring Zaporizhzhia region and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, to...

#UPDATE Chileans have emphatically rejected a proposed new constitution to replace the one adopted during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship.With more than 72% of votes counted, the camp rejecting change led with over 62% compared to just under 38% for those in favour pic.twitter.com/Erd2isMTV7— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 5, 2022Note: See Jazz Shaw’s analysis from earlier today. Read More From AFP

Nobody who favored overturning Roe ought to be particularly surprised by the result of the Kansas referendum on abortion. By the margin, maybe — but a Republican state voting to preserve a right to abortion emphasizes what’s always been apparent: With the end of Roe, the pro-life movement now has to adapt to the democratic contest that it sought. Right now, majorities of Americans favor abortion restrictions that were ruled out under Roe, but only slightly over one-third of the country takes the position that abortion should be largely illegal, a number that shrinks if you remove various exceptions. That...

JUST IN - Croatia: "Enough is Enough" initiative has collected enough signatures to initiate a referendum on the abolition of the Covid certificate, Novi List reports.https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1485604298511851520

Gangs raided multiple police stations for weapons in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, in deadly attacks over the weekend as violence between armed groups flared, with intense conflict in one southern neighborhood forcing thousands to flee. The gangs have proliferated in the poorest country in the Americas over the past few years during a period of political unrest and growing economic misery. Armed groups increasingly outgun Haiti's security forces and fight with one another over territory. The United Nations said on Sunday it was "profoundly worried" about the impact of the growing violence on civilians, recalling similar incidents over the past year...

The Texit effort is slated for a major boost this week with the introduction of a bill in the Texas State Legislature that would put the question of secession into a referendum form to voters on the November 2021 ballot.The notion of secession is increasingly being discussed across the country in the wake of what many believe was a gerrymandered election and a complete failure and abdication of the judicial system to affect justice for the American people.Additionally, a vast majority of people are aghast that the federal government is doing nothing to secure their First Amendment rights to free...

Polling suggests that 80% of those who voted in October’s assisted suicide referendum in New Zealand misunderstood what the law would actually do.In October, the ‘End of Life Choice Act’ became law through a binding referendum where 65.2% of voters supported the Act. However, according to group Euthanasia-Free NZ “Polling during the advance voting period showed that 80% of New Zealand adults were misunderstanding what the End of Life Choice Act would legalise”.“Only 20% of respondents knew that this Act would not make it legal to turn off machines that are keeping people alive”. [emphasis original]Executive Officer of Euthanasia-Free NZ,...

Proposition 16 in California, which would have allowed “diversity” to be a factor in hiring and school admissions, went down in flames on Election Day, largely because several majority-Hispanic counties voted against it.It wasn’t even close. While pro-affirmative action groups and every major Democratic organization in the state backed the measure and supporters outspent opponents $20 million to $1.5 million, the measure still lost by 14 points.It was a shocking defeat, especially since all the major Hispanic groups backed the measure. But something funny happened on the way to climbing aboard the diversity train; it had already left the station...

A Colorado ballot initiative aimed at banning late-term abortions in most circumstances has an uncertain future, with a recent poll labeling its fate “too close to call.” Colorado voters will vote on Proposition 115, which if approved will ban abortions after 22 weeks’ gestation except in the event of a life-threatening medical emergency for the mother. In a report released earlier this month, the American Politics Research Lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder found that 45% of voters opposed Proposition 115, while 41% said they supported it, and 14% were unsure. The report labeled the likely success or failure...

On March 5, 2020, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled the dangerous referendum to require guns to be locked up, and to bypass ordinary protections of tort law where firearms are concerned, had a ballot title caption and “yes” result which did not comply with state law. From justia.com: In consolidated cases, petitioners sought judicial review of the Oregon Attorney General’s certified ballot title for Initiative Petition 40 (2020) (IP 40). If enacted, IP 40 would establish requirements for securing firearms, reporting the loss or theft of firearms, and supervising minors’ use of firearms. It would also establish consequences for violating...

Texas voters on Tuesday approved an amendment to the state’s constitution banning an income tax. While Texas is already one of seven states that does not have an income tax, the amendment will make it extremely difficult to impose the tax in the future. “Today’s passage of Prop 4 is a victory for taxpayers across the Lone Star State,” said Republican Governor Greg Abbot. “I am grateful to Rep. Jeff Leach for his bold leadership on this issue, and for the overwhelming majority of Texans who voted to ensure that our great state will always be free of a state...

Voters in the state of Washington rejected a controversial affirmative action proposal in Tuesday’s elections. According to the latest figures from the Washington secretary of state’s office, Referendum 88, which would have reinstated the use of affirmative action in state employment, contracting and admission to public colleges and universities, was defeated 52% to 48% With 100% of precincts reporting and 983,438 votes counted, 509,144 people voted against the referendum and 474,294 people supported it.Opposition to the measure was led by a group of Chinese immigrants, according to the Seattle Times. Opponents said the referendum would have given the government the...

This November, Proposition CC will ask Colorado voters to permanently lift the spending limits in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, but the political stakes embedded in the question are even more consequential. The ballot question represents the most significant overhaul to TABOR since voters approved the constitutional provision in 1992, and serves as a test case for a broader Democratic effort to overhaul how the state levies taxes and spends money. If voters approve Prop. CC, Democratic leaders and their allies believe it would give them momentum for a broader agenda to revamp property tax rates, increase taxes for key...