Author: Nicole Fisher

  • Number of California local ballot measures during odd-numbered years continues downward trend

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    California voters decided on 45 local ballot measures in 2023. These local ballot measures included county measures, city or town measures, or measures from local school districts or special districts.  In 2023, there was one less measure than in the previous odd-numbered election year in 2021, when California voters decided on 46 local ballot measures.…

  • Initiative that would limit campaign contributions to super PACs may appear on Maine 2024 ballot

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    In Maine, a campaign supporting a ballot initiative to limit the amount of campaign contributions to independent expenditure-only political action committees says that it has collected enough signatures to make the 2024 ballot. Cara McCormick, chairperson of the Maine Citizens to End Super PACs, the campaign behind the initiative, said, “While we are still waiting…

  • Four state constitutions provide for the right to an abortion. Here are the states that may vote on abortion constitutional amendments in 2024

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    Four states—California, Michigan, Ohio, and Vermont—have constitutions that explicitly provide for a right to an abortion. Most recently, Ohio voters approved Issue 1 on Nov. 7, 2023, which established a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and continuing pregnancy. Following…

  • Where could abortion appear on the ballot in 2024?

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    In November, voters in Ohio approved Issue 1, which established the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, which overruled Roe v. Wade, there were seven abortion measures on the ballot, including the 2023 Ohio measure. In 2022, voters…

  • Voters in Huntington Beach, California, to decide charter amendments on elections, voter ID, flags, budgets, and more in March 2024

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    Voters in Huntington Beach, California, will decide on three charter amendments on March 5, 2024, which the Huntington Beach City Council referred to the ballot on Oct. 5, 2023. Measure 1 would make various changes to the election procedures of Huntington Beach, including requiring voter identification for elections and requiring ballot drop boxes to be…

  • Legislative elections in New Jersey and Virginia could have an effect on future constitutional amendments

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    State legislature elections on Nov. 7, 2023, in New Jersey and Virginia shifted Democratic majorities in the legislatures. This could affect legislatively referred constitutional amendments that may appear on the ballot in future elections.  In Virginia, Democrats won a majority in the House of Delegates and maintained their majority in the State Senate. Previously, in…

  • Reactions to Ohio Issue 1 and future abortion-related ballot measures

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    Voters in Ohio approved Issue 1 on Nov. 7, 2023. Issue 1 provided a state constitutional right to abortion, among other reproductive matters. The vote was 56.62% ‘Yes’ to 43.38% ‘No’. Ohio Issue 1 is the fourth ballot measure to provide a state constitutional right to abortion. In 2022, voters in three other states—California, Michigan,…

  • Comparing the Ohio Issue 1 election to 2022 abortion-related constitutional amendments

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    In Ohio, voters will decide on Issue 1 on Nov. 7. Issue 1 would establish a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including abortion, contraception, and other reproductive matters. Issue 1 would allow the state to restrict abortion after fetal viability, except when “necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s…

  • Ohio Issue 1 is the most expensive abortion-related ballot measure election post-Dobbs

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    The campaigns supporting and opposing Ohio Issue 1, an amendment that would provide a state constitutional right to abortion, received a combined $71.60 million in contributions, as of the most recent campaign finance reports on Oct. 26. Issue 1 would establish a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including…

  • Ohio will be the fourth state to vote on a state constitutional right to abortion

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    In Ohio, voters will decide on Issue 1 on Nov. 7, 2023. Issue 1 would establish a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including abortion, contraception, and other reproductive matters. Issue 1 would allow the state to restrict abortion after fetal viability, except when “necessary to protect the pregnant…