For immediate release: Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Contact: press@groundgametexas.org

Ground Game Texas issues legal memo in response to Denton city officials ignoring will of voters on marijuana initiative
 

Denton, TX (Tuesday, November 15, 2022) - On Tuesday, November 15, Ground Game Texas released a legal memo in response to statements made by City of Denton officials that Proposition B -- a Ground Game Texas initiative to decriminalize low-level marijuana offenses passed overwhelmingly by Denton voters on Tuesday -- would not be fully implemented.

As the memo explains, Proposition B was passed by 71% of Denton voters via authority provided by the Texas Constitution and the City of Denton's "Home Rule" charter. Contrary to statements made by City officials, the City Manager does not possess policy-making authority and may not usurp the initiative power of Denton voters to exercise discretion to adopt policies allocating scarce public safety resources.

"The voters of Denton have spoken. By an overwhelming margin, they passed an initiative to prioritize scarce public safety initiatives for important needs that serve Denton, rather than wasteful enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses," said Mike Siegel, Co-Founder and General Counsel to Ground Game Texas. "City staff do not have the authority to disregard election results and usurp the will of the voters. We hope and expect that officials in positions of public trust will fulfill the will of the voters they serve and ensure that Proposition B is duly enforced immediately."

The full memo to the Mayor and City Council of the City of Denton can be read here. 
 

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About Ground Game Texas
Ground Game Texas is a voter engagement and mobilization organization founded by Register2Vote leaders Julie Oliver and Mike Siegel in 2021. Based in Austin, Ground Game Texas seeks to organize voters community-by-community, collaborating with partners on the ground to meet voters at their doors and push for popular progressive policies across the state of Texas.