Author: Victoria Antram
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Abortion, marijuana decriminalization, the climate, and law enforcement featured on local ballots in Texas on May 6
Ballotpedia is covering 47 ballot measures in seven counties in Texas on May 6. Five of the 47 are citizen initiatives, and the remaining 42 were referred to the ballot by a vote of a local governing board, such as a county board or city council. Compared to the May elections in 2019 and 2021…
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Abortion related-ballot measures in 2023 and 2024
Maryland and New York voters will be deciding on two abortion-related ballot measures in Nov. 2024. Measures have been proposed in several other states. Maryland voters will decide whether to establish a right to reproductive freedom, defined to include “decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy,” in its state constitution. If approved, Maryland will…
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Texas State Legislature proposed 295 constitutional amendments in 2023
The Texas State Legislature proposed 295 constitutional amendments during the 2023 legislative session, an increase over previous odd-year regular sessions where legislators proposed 218 amendments in 2021 and 216 amendments in 2019. Texas is one of a handful of states that frequently vote on constitutional amendments in odd-numbered years. Fourteen of the 295 proposed amendments…
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Maryland voters to decide on state constitutional right to abortion in 2024
The Maryland State Legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to voters that would add a new article to the Declaration of Rights in the state constitution establishing a right to reproductive freedom, defined to include “the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.” The amendment was introduced…
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New Mexico State Legislature sends two constitutional amendments related to veteran property tax exemptions to the 2024 ballot
The New Mexico State Legislature voted to send two constitutional amendments to statewide ballots in 2024 on March 17 before adjourning on March 18. House Joint Resolution 5 (HJR 5) would extend the disabled veteran property tax exemption to all disabled veterans (or their widows) in proportion to their federal disability rating. Currently, the state…
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Voters in Burlington, Vermont, and Redondo Beach, California, approve ranked-choice voting measures
Voters in Burlington, Vermont, and Redondo Beach, California approved ranked-choice voting measures in local elections on March 7. Burlington Question 6 was approved with 64.4% of the vote. The measure amended the city’s charter to adopt ranked-choice voting for elections for the mayor, school commissioners, and ward election officers. Before Question 6, the candidate receiving…
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Voters in Redondo Beach, California will decide on six local ballot measures, including ranked-choice voting, on March 7
Voters in Redondo Beach, California, will decide on five charter amendments and one ordinance at an election on March 7. Charter Amendment 1 would make the following changes to the bid process for public works projects: increase the threshold for public works projects required to go through the formal bidding process from $50,000 to $200,000;…
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Support and opposition campaigns amassed $724.8 million in California for 2022 ballot measures
In 2022, campaigns supporting and opposing the seven ballot measures that appeared on the general election ballot amassed $724.8 million in contributions. This is an average of $103.5 million per measure, which is the highest average for California ballot measures between 2016 and 2022. In 2022, the most expensive ballot measures were Proposition 26 and…
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California voters will decide on a veto referendum to repeal an oil and gas regulation law in 2024
The California secretary of state announced that a veto referendum seeking to repeal Senate Bill 1137 (SB 1137) had qualified for the 2024 ballot on Feb. 3. If upheld by voters, SB 1137 would require all oil or gas production facilities or wells within a health protection zone to comply with new regulations. Health protection…
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Initiative to increase the vote threshold for new or increased taxes in California qualifies for the 2024 ballot
An initiated constitutional amendment to increase the vote threshold for new or increased state and local taxes has qualified for the Nov. 2024 ballot in California. On Feb. 2, the secretary of state reported that after a full check of signatures, the campaign had submitted 1,075,585 valid signatures exceeding the 997,139 valid signatures required to…