Author: Josh Altic
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Ballotpedia releases its year-end state ballot measure analysis with statistical summaries, campaign finance analysis, readability analysis, historical context, and more
A total of 36 statewide ballot measures were on 2019 ballots in eight states. Of those, four were decided at pre-November elections, and 32 statewide measures were on ballots for the November election in seven states. Of the total, 22 statewide measures were approved by voters, and 14 were defeated. As of December 2019,…
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Oklahoma City voters approve sales tax measure Tuesday
Oklahoma City voters approved a 1% sales tax measure by 71.7% to 28.3 percent in a special election Tuesday. The tax revenue was earmarked to fund the city’s Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) 4 program of proposed city infrastructure and facility projects. The MAPS 4 tax will expire in eight years and is expected to raise…
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Oklahoma City voters to decide sales tax proposition Dec. 10
On Dec. 10, OKC voters will decide whether to approve a 1% sales tax proposition to fund the city’s MAPS 4 program of city infrastructure and facility projects. The tax was designed to go into effect in April 2020 when the city’s existing 1% transportation sales tax expires, thereby leaving the total sales tax rate…
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Washington Referendum 88 on affirmative action too close to call as of Wednesday morning
Washington Referendum 88 was too close to call as of Wednesday morning, with ballots counted so far split 48.2% in favor of Initiative 1000 and 51.8% opposed. The measure was behind by about 20,000 votes and an estimated 332,000 ballots were left to be counted. The results must be certified by December 5. The…
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New York City voters approved ranked-choice voting for city primaries, will be largest jurisdiction in the U.S. to use RCV
According to unofficial election night results, about 73% of New York City voters approved Question 1 on Tuesday. The measure makes New York City the most populous jurisdiction in the U.S. to approve the use of the ranked-choice voting election method. Question 1 provides for ranked-choice voting in primary and special elections for mayor, public…
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Tucson voters reject sanctuary city initiative 71% to 29%
Tucson voters rejected a measure that would have made Tucson the first in the state with sanctuary city policies. Over 70% of voters rejected Proposition 205. The citizen initiative would have declared in city code that Tucson was a sanctuary city, restricted law enforcement officers from actions to determine a person’s immigration status under certain…
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Preview of the 141 Nov. 5 local ballot measures within Ballotpedia’s coverage scope
In 2019, Ballotpedia is covering 141 local measures in jurisdictions within 17 different states for the November 5 election. This includes all local measures that appear on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S, plus all local measures in North Carolina, all local measures in California. Ballotpedia is also…
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Louisiana voters approve two out of four proposed constitutional amendments
On Saturday, Louisiana voters approved two constitutional amendments and rejected two, according to unofficial election night results. Amendment 1 was defeated with 47.25% in favor and 52.75% against. It would have extended an ad valorem tax exemption to property (such as raw materials, goods, commodities, personal property, and other articles) being stored in Louisiana…
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Gov. Gavin Newsom becomes third California governor in a row to veto pay-per-signature bans for ballot initiatives
On Oct. 7, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed a bill that would have banned paying ballot initiative signature petition circulators according to the number of signatures they collect, a method called pay-per-signature. Newsom’s two immediate predecessors—Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Jerry Brown (D)—vetoed similar bills after the state legislature passed laws prohibiting pay-per-signature in 2011, 2018,…
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Vaping, ride-share taxes, minimum wage, and housing among California’s 45 local ballot measures on Nov. 5
Voters across 13 different California counties will decide the outcome of 45 local ballot measures on November 5, 2019. Below is a breakdown of the different topics the measures address: 14 parcel tax measures nine sales tax measures four local hotel tax measures four measures that would make city clerks, city treasurers, or both…