Author: Josh Altic
-
New Mexico becomes the third state this year to approve recreational marijuana legalization
On April 12, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed House Bill 2 (HB 2) to legalize recreational marijuana. HB 2 made New Mexico the third state to approve recreational marijuana legalization in the last two weeks. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed a marijuana legalization bill on March 31, and, on April…
-
State legislators passed restrictions on the initiative process in three states and are considering ballot measure law changes in several others
At least 123 legislative proposals concerning ballot initiatives, veto referendums, referrals, local ballot measures, and recall were introduced in the 2021 legislative sessions of 34 states. At least eight had been approved so far. Here are some of the most notable changes to ballot measure law passed and proposed in 2021: The Utah Legislature passed…
-
New York becomes third state to legalize recreational marijuana through legislative action instead of a ballot measure
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed a bill on March 31 legalizing recreational marijuana and allowing resentencing for those convicted of certain marijuana-related charges. Both chambers of the legislature passed the bill (Assembly Bill 1248/Senate Bill 854) on March 30. New York became the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana. In addition, South Dakota…
-
Rhode Island voters approve $400 million in bonds in special election
Voters in Rhode Island approved all seven bond measures—totaling $400 million—in a special election on March 2. The Rhode Island Legislature referred the questions to the ballot. Here are the details for all seven approved measures: Question 1: Authorized $107.3 million in bonds for the University of Rhode Island Fine Arts Center, the Rhode Island…
-
Burlington, Vermont, voters approve a measure March 2 to use ranked-choice voting for city council elections
Voters in Burlington, Vermont, approved Question 4 on March 2, 64% to 36%. Question 4 will implement ranked-choice voting (RCV) for city council elections beginning in March 2022. As a charter amendment, the measure must now be approved by the Vermont General Assembly and signed by the governor to be enacted. The vote was the…
-
Here’s a look at this year’s proposed changes to laws governing ballot measures
As of February 10, 2021, Ballotpedia had tracked 122 legislative proposals concerning ballot initiatives, veto referendums, referrals, local ballot measures, and recalls in 34 states in 2021 legislative sessions. • Legislation to enact or increase existing supermajority requirements for certain ballot measures was introduced in 2021 sessions in six states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, North…
-
Federal judge blocks Maine’s ban on out-of-state initiative petition circulators
On Feb. 16, U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock blocked Maine from enforcing provisions of its state constitution and a 2015 law requiring petition circulators to be registered voters, and, therefore, state residents. Woodcock ruled that “the First Amendment’s free speech protections trump the state’s regulatory authority.” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows could appeal the…
-
Year-end analysis of local ballot measures in the top 100 largest cities in the U.S.
There were 314 local measures on the ballot for voters in the nation’s 100 largest cities in 2020. These spanned 26 different states and Washington, D.C. Ballotpedia’s year-end analysis dives into approval rates, notable topics and measures, bond and tax measures, and the types of measures. Here are some highlights: 252 measures (80.3%) were approved,…
-
Ballotpedia’s analysis of California’s 2020 local ballot measures
California voters decided 719 local ballot measures across seven different election dates in 2020. Here are some highlights from Ballotpedia’s annual report on local ballot measures in California: • Voters approved 62.4% percent of California’s local measures in 2020, which was 14 and 15 percentage points lower than their approval rates in 2016 and 2018,…
-
Ballot measure records and firsts in 2020
2020 was a unique year for statewide ballot measures. Here are 12 ballot measure-related stories from 2020 that either never happened before or hadn’t happened in a very long time. Ballot measure campaign finance records were set nationally and in four states: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Alaska. Gig economy policies appeared on a statewide ballot…