Author: Victoria Antram
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160 ballot initiatives have been filed for the 2023 election cycle as of Jan. 1
As of Jan. 1, proponents have filed 160 ballot initiatives in four states for elections in 2023. Washington leads with 151 ballot initiatives. The three other states include Colorado (one initiative), Maine (six initiatives), and Ohio (two initiatives). Between 2011 and 2021, an average of 161 ballot initiatives were filed for odd-numbered-year ballots. The highest…
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Campaign behind a California oil and gas veto referendum submits nearly 1 million signatures
On Dec. 13, California Independent Petroleum Association (CIPA), which is leading the Stop the Energy Shutdown campaign, announced that the campaign to place a veto referendum to repeal recently passed oil and gas regulations on the 2024 ballot had collected over 978,000 signatures. The referendum would repeal Senate Bill 1137 (SB 1137), which would prohibit…
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The lowest and the highest readability scores for 2017-2022 ballot measures
Ballotpedia conducts an annual readability report analyzing what level of education voters would need to understand the ballot titles and summaries of statewide ballot measures using Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). Measurements used in calculating readability scores include the number of syllables, words, and sentences in a text. Other factors, such…
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Campaign to repeal California fast food wage and labor regulation law submits more than 1 million signatures
On Dec. 5, Save Local Restaurants submitted more than 1 million signatures to the California secretary of state to place a veto referendum on the 2024 ballot that would repeal Assembly Bill 257 (AB 257). AB 257 would create a fast food council authorized to increase the minimum wage of workers in the fast-food industry…
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Closest and widest vote margins for state ballot measure elections in California
There were 23 state ballot measures decided by less than a percentage point in California between 1910 and 2022. The ballot measure with the closest vote margin percentage during that period was Proposition 74, which was defeated with a vote margin of 50.01% ‘No’ to 49.99% ‘Yes’ in 1988. The margin in absolute votes was…
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2022 statewide ballot measures written at graduate school reading level
The ballot language for the 140 statewide ballot measures on the ballot in 38 states in 2022 is written at an average reading level of 19 (graduate school reading level), up from 18 in 2021. Ballotpedia identified 66 measures with a ballot summary that was set to appear alongside the ballot question on the ballot.…
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Campaigns supporting and opposing Massachusetts ballot questions report over $57.2 million in contributions
The campaigns registered to support and oppose the four ballot questions in Massachusetts reported over $57.2 million in cash and in-kind contributions as of Oct. 20. With $24.7 million raised by support committees and $13.7 million raised by the opposition, Massachusetts Question 1 is the most expensive legislative referral of the 2022 election cycle with…
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Rhode Island voters to decide three bond measures totaling $400 million in November
On Nov. 8, voters in Rhode Island will be deciding on three bond measures totaling $400 million. Question 1 would issue $100 million in bonds for the University of Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Campus’ marine discipline education and research needs. The University of Rhode Island is leading the Vote Yes on 1 campaign in support…
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Kansas Amendment 2 would require most county sheriffs to be elected
On Nov. 8, Kansas voters will decide on a ballot measure, Amendment 2, to require the election of county sheriffs in counties that had not abolished the office as of January 2022 and provide that sheriffs may be recalled from office or removed by a writ of quo warranto initiated by the attorney general. Currently,…
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California ballot measure committees report $618.3 million in contributions
As of Sept. 24, 2022, ballot measure committees registered to support or oppose the seven ballot propositions on California’s November ballot reported receiving $618.3 million in contributions. Campaigns surrounding Propositions 26 and 27 reported the highest amount of contributions in recent California history with $427 million. The total nearly doubles the amount of the next…