COUNT OF NEVADA MARIJUANA PETITIONS BACK ON AFTER COURT RULING

The count of signatures on a Nevada marijuana initiative is back on Friday,
after a federal judge declared unconstitutional two state requirements for
tallying ballot measure signatures.

US District Judge James Mahan declined to order the state outright to put
the marijuana initiative on the November ballot. He said a count of the
66,000 signatures around the state will determine if the measure qualifies.
It would let adults possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

The ruling invalidating Nevada's so-called "13 counties rule" could also
give new life to an unrelated measure seeking to ban public employees from
serving in the Legislature. The rule requires signatures from at least 10
percent of the number of voters who cast ballots in the most recent general
election in at least 13 of the state's 17 counties.

The judge says the rule creates too big an imbalance between rural and
heavily populated counties to meet the federal Constitution's "equal
protection" reqirement of one-person, one-vote.

The judge also tossed out the so-called "dual affidavit rule" requiring
that a registered Nevada voter sign the petition and sign a document
attesting that the names on it are from registered Nevada voters.