Cannabis reform group launches new petition after Texas' Harker Heights rejects ballot proposition

'These antidemocratic politicians are trying to throw away the votes of more than 5,000 Harker Heights residents — but we won't let them,' Ground Game Texas said.

click to enlarge In November, residents of five Texas municipalities voted to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession. - Pexels / Kindel Media
Pexels / Kindel Media
In November, residents of five Texas municipalities voted to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession.
Cannabis reform advocates are pushing back against the city council of the Central Texas city of Harker Heights, which recently rejected a voter-approved ballot measure decriminalizing low levels of pot possession there.

Harker Heights was one of five Texas municipalities in which voters during the November midterms approved decriminalization initiatives. While at least two other of those votes received blowback from local officials, Harker Heights is so far the first to reject voters' approval outright.

Voter mobilization group Ground Game Texas, which championed Harker Heights' original ballot initiative, said it's launched a new petition drive to override the council ordinance, which passed Nov. 22. Some 64% of voters in the city of 34,000 people approved the decriminalization initiative.

"By voting to repeal Prop A, the Harker Heights City Council sent a clear message to their constituents that they don't respect the will of the voters or the democracy they participate in," Ground Game Texas Executive Director Julie Oliver said in a news release. "These antidemocratic politicians are trying to throw away the votes of more than 5,000 Harker Heights residents — but we won't let them. With this new referendum, Ground Game Texas will ensure the will of voters isn't trampled on by their local elected officials."

Stay tuned. 

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