Author: Ryan Byrne
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Update on 2025 and 2026 ballot measure certifications: South Dakota certifies amendment to condition Medicaid expansion on federal funding
The number of certified ballot measures for 2025 and 2026 is trending above the average as of March 5, 2025. For 2025, six statewide ballot measures have been certified in three states—Louisiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Six is one measure more than the average of five for this point in an odd-numbered-year election cycle since 2010.…
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Thirty states have adopted English as an official language, 11 through ballot measures since 1920
President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order “[designating] English as the official language of the United States” on March 1, 2025. While the federal government had never before provided for an official national language, 30 states have designated English as their official language. Three—Alaska, Hawaii, and South Dakota—also recognize some indigenous languages as co-official…
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Mosquitos, MADs, and a local ballot measure in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, on March 29
Voters in Louisiana will decide on 56 local ballot measures in 27 of the state’s 64 parishes, along with four state constitutional amendments, on March 29, 2025. The local ballot measures cover a range of jurisdictions, including parishes, cities, school districts, and special districts, such as the Tangipahoa Parish Mosquito Abatement District (MAD). The ballot…
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Voters in 30 states have decided on 42 constitutional amendments to create state initiative and referendum processes since 1898
In the U.S., 26 states have adopted constitutional amendments for citizen-initiated ballot measures. As state constitutional amendments require voter approval, except in Delaware, creating ballot initiative processes requires ballot measures, either from state legislatures or constitutional convention. Most of these amendments originated during the progressive and populist movements of the 1890s to 1920s. Beginning in…
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Update on 2025 and 2026 ballot measure certifications: Wisconsin certifies Voter ID Amendment for April 1
The number of certified ballot measures for 2025 and 2026 is trending above the average as of Jan. 21, 2025. For 2025, six statewide ballot measures have been certified in three states—Louisiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Six is three measures more than the average of three for this point in an odd-numbered-year election cycle since 2010.…
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Update on 2025 and 2026 ballot measure certifications: Ohio certifies one for 2025, Wyoming certifies one for 2026
The number of certified ballot measures for 2025 and 2026 is trending above the average as of Jan. 7, 2025. For 2025, five statewide ballot measures have been certified in two states—Louisiana and Ohio. Five is two measures above the average (three) for this point in an odd-numbered year election cycle since 2010. For 2026,…
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Ohio voters to decide $2.5 billion infrastructure bond on May 6, the fifth for the program since 1987
Voters in Ohio will decide on a $2.5-billion bond measure at a special election on May 6, 2025. The general obligation bond, limited to $250 million per year over 10 years, would fund the State Capital Improvement Program (SCIP) through the Ohio Public Works Commission. SCIP provides local governments with grants, loans, loan assistance, and…
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Voters in San Mateo County, California, to decide on charter amendment to allow supervisors to remove elected sheriff for cause
Voters in San Mateo County, California, will decide on a charter amendment to allow the County Board of Supervisors to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office for cause through a four-fifths (4 of 5) vote. The charter amendment would expire on December 31, 2028. Voters will decide on the charter amendment at a special election…
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State ballot measure update: Four ballot measures certified for 2025, one for 2026, during the past two weeks
Four statewide measures are certified for the 2025 ballot in one state—Louisiana—as of Nov. 26, 2024. For 2026, eight statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in six states. 2025 ballot measures During the past two weeks, four constitutional amendments were certified in Louisiana for a special election on March 29, 2025: 2026 ballot…
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Massachusetts voters to decide on firearm regulations veto referendum in 2026, which is the state’s second ballot measure, first veto referendum on firearms
Voters in Massachusetts will decide on a veto referendum to repeal House Bill 4855 (H. 4855), also known as Acts of 2024 Chapter 135, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws. H. 4855 is an omnibus-style bill that made several changes to the state’s firearm regulations. On Nov. 22, the veto referendum was certified for the general…