Author: Brandon McCauley
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Colorado voters to decide on ballot initiative establishing state constitutional right to purchase and sell natural gas
Voters in Colorado will decide on a ballot measure related to the right to purchase and sell natural gas to homes and businesses. Initiative 177 The measure — known as Initiative 177 — would add a new section to Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution to establish the right for consumers to purchase natural gas…
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State lawmakers enacted 37 bills on ballot measures and direct democracy through mid-2026
States have enacted 37 bills and resolutions concerning the three powers of direct democracy in the U.S. — the ballot initiative, referendum, and recall election — in 2026, through Aug. 5, 2026. The average number of bills and resolutions enacted per year from 2018 to 2025 was 41. While most bills are adopted during the…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado graduated income tax measure that competes with proposed income tax cap initiative
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state on August 3, 2026, for a ballot initiative to establish a graduated income tax. Known as Initiative 195, the measure would establish a six-tier structure for state income taxes, ranging from 3.7% to 8.4%, and remove the uniform tax rate requirement from the Taxpayer's Bill…
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Signatures submitted in Colorado for initiative that would require approval from an independent commission and the state supreme court for mid-decade redistricting maps
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state's office on July 29 for a ballot initiative related to mid-decade redistricting. The measure — known as Initiative 256 — would require any mid-decade redistricting plan to be approved by both the state's independent redistricting commission and the Colorado Supreme Court. The initiative would also…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado initiative that would retain sales tax revenue for environmental fund
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state's office on July 27 for a ballot initiative related to the allocation of sales tax revenue. The measure, Initiative 308, would exempt sales tax revenue generated from the sale of sporting goods and equipment from the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) provision, which requires excess…
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Hawaii has decided on 144 ballot measures since 1950
Since 1950, Hawaii voters have decided on 144 ballot measures. Of those, 121 (84%) were approved, and 23 (16%) were defeated. In Hawaii, the state legislature can refer constitutional amendments and state statutes to the ballot. However, citizens of Hawaii do not have the power to initiate statewide ballot measures, and the state has never…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado initiative requiring ballot questions at an eighth-grade reading level and limiting conflicting language requirements
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state's office on July 20, 2026, for a ballot initiative related to the readability of ballot measure questions. The initiative — known as Initiative 234 — would require ballot questions to be in plain language, at no more than an eighth-grade reading level. It would also…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado initiative requiring mail-in ballots to contain a voter identification number
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state's office on July 16, 2026, for a ballot initiative related to voter identification requirements for mail-in voting. The initiative — known as Initiative 362 — would add a new section to Article VII of the Colorado Constitution to require voters to provide both their signature…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado income tax cap measure that competes with proposed graduated income tax initiative
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state on July 15, 2026, for a ballot initiative to cap individual and corporate income tax rates at 4.4% of a taxpayer's federal taxable income. The Colorado secretary of state's office has until Sept. 2, 2026, to review the signatures to determine whether the petition contains…
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Washington voters to decide on an initiative to repeal legislation establishing an income tax for households earning over $1 million and ban income taxes in general
Voters in Washington will decide on a ballot measure that would repeal legislation establishing an income tax for certain households and ban income taxes altogether on Nov. 3, 2026. More specifically, the measure — known as I-645 — is an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, that would repeal provisions of…