Author: Victoria Antram
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Oregon voters have defeated more ballot measures than they have approved since 1900
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Oregon ballot measures since 1900. Oregon voters decided on 881 ballot measures between 1900 and 2024—defeating over 53% of them. Four hundred eleven (411) measures were approved, and four hundred seventy (470) measures were defeated. Of the 881 ballot measures, 14 were decided by less than a percentage point…
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Wisconsin voters have decided on 257 ballot measures since statehood
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Wisconsin ballot measures since 1846, when voters decided on a ballot measure to form a state government. Wisconsin decided on 257 ballot measures between 1846 and 2024. Of these, 184 measures (71.6%) were approved, while 73 (28.4%) were defeated. Only the Wisconsin State Legislature can place a ballot measure…
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Nine states have new initiative signature requirements heading into the 2025-2026 election cycle
Heading into the 2025-2026 election cycle, signature requirements for citizen-initiated measures changed in nine states. Turnout on Nov.5, 2024, caused signature requirements for citizen-initiated ballot measures to change in seven states. Two other states changed their requirements based on the number of registered voters. The average change was a 12.47% increase. Changes ranged from a…
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Voters in Seattle deciding on four local ballot measures on Feb. 11, including two competing measures
Seattle voters will be deciding on two competing propositions as well as two school district levy renewals on Feb. 11. The competing measures are Propositions 1A and 1B. Proposition 1A (previously Initiative 137) is a citizen-initiated measure, and Proposition 1B is an alternative measure referred to the ballot by the Seattle City Council. Voters will…
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Wisconsin voters to decide on adding voter photo ID requirement to state constitution on April 1
Wisconsin voters will decide on a constitutional amendment on April 1 to require photo identification to vote. A photo ID is already required by state law. The state legislature took the final vote on Jan. 14 to send the amendment to voters. Currently, 35 states require voters to present identification in order to vote at…
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Californians decided on 1,306 ballot measures between 1910 and 2024
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all California ballot measures since 1910, the year before the state adopted the initiative and referendum process. Californians decided on 1,306 ballot measures between 1910 and 2024. Seven hundred fifty-two (752) measures were approved, and five hundred fifty-four (554) were defeated. Of the 1,306 ballot measures, 27 were decided by…
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Approval rate for constitutional amendments in 2024 hits lowest level since 2005
In 2024, voters in 35 states decided on 96 constitutional amendments, approving 60 (63%) and rejecting 36 (38%). The approval rate was the lowest since 2005, when voters approved 14 (54%) of the 26 amendments appearing on statewide ballots. From 2003 through 2024, odd-year election cycles featured a higher average approval rate for proposed constitutional…
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Five states reject ranked-choice voting measures, Alaska retains system after recount
In 2024, voters decided on seven ballot measures related to ranked-choice voting, the most ever in a single year. While voters in one state—Alaska—retained RCV, five measures to adopt the system were rejected in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon. In Missouri, voters approved a constitutional amendment to prohibit RCV. Voters in five localities, including…
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Thirteen states feature a higher-than-average number of ballot initiatives in 2024, leading to the most initiated measures since 2016
Of the 26 states that allow for citizen-initiated ballot measures, 18 states will feature citizen initiatives on the ballot this year. Thirteen of these states had a higher-than-average number of initiatives certified for their respective statewide ballots this year as compared to even-year election cycles between 2010 and 2022. A total of 931 ballot initiatives…
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Nebraska voters to decide on a pair of initiatives to legalize and regulate medical marijuana
The Nebraska Secretary of State announced on Sept. 13 that two ballot initiatives to legalize and regulate medical marijuana were certified for the November ballot. The measures are initiated state statutes that needed valid signatures from 5% of the registered voters (86,499 signatures) in each of two-fifths (38) of Nebraska’s 93 counties. The secretary of state…