Author: Victoria Antram
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Tucson voters approve increasing the local minimum wage to $15 by 2025
On Nov. 2, Tucson voters approved Proposition 206, an initiative designed to incrementally increase the local minimum wage to $15 by 2025, and tie it to inflation thereafter. According to unofficial election results, 65% of voters approved Proposition 206. Currently, the minimum wage is $12.15. The minimum wage will increase by the following increments: $13…
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Campaigns supporting and opposing Austin Proposition A report an additional $2 million in contributions
On Nov. 2, voters in Austin, Texas will decide on Proposition A, an initiative designed to enact changes to police staffing, training, and demographic representation. The initiative would establish minimum police staffing and require there to be at least two police officers for every 1,000 residents of Austin; add an additional 40 hours of police…
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Texas voters to decide on an increase to the homestead exemption from school district property taxes in May 2022
On Oct. 18, the Texas State Legislature voted to refer to the ballot a constitutional amendment that would increase the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000. Voters will decide the measure on the May 2022 ballot. It would take effect for the 2022 tax year. The Legislative Budget Board estimated…
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Arizona voters to decide local minimum wage increase, bond issues, school budget override, and charter amendments in November
Ballotpedia is covering 11 local ballot measures in Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale, and Tucson on November 2, 2021. In Chandler, voters will decide five bond issues totaling $272,685,000: Question 1: Authorizes $72,985,000 in bonds to construct, improve, and acquire city parks and recreational facilities Question 2: Authorizes $25,160,000 in bonds to construct, renovate, and equip city…
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The voter registration deadline for Texas statewide election is Oct. 4
The voter registration deadline for the November 2, 2021 election in Texas is Oct. 4. Prospective voters can request a postage-paid voter registration form online or complete the form online and return it to the county voter registrar. Applications are also available at a variety of locations including the county voter registrar’s office, the secretary…
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2021 statewide ballot measures written at second-year graduate school reading level
The ballot language for the 39 ballot measures appearing on nine statewide ballots in 2021 is written at an average reading grade level of 18 (second-year graduate school), up from 15 in 2019. Ballotpedia’s annual readability analysis of ballot titles and summaries of ballot measures was conducted using two formulas, the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE)…
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Texas Supreme Court orders city council to use Save Austin Now’s ballot language for police measure
Austin voters will decide a ballot measure related to police staffing, training requirements, and demographic representation in hiring on November 2, 2021. The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the city council had to use the caption drafted by the measure’s sponsor, Save Austin Now, rather than the language approved by the city council…
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Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey clears 17 ballot initiatives for signature gathering
On September 1, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (D) announced that 17 ballot initiatives of the 30 filed were cleared for signature gathering. The 17 initiatives included 16 initiated state statutes aiming for the 2022 ballot and one initiated constitutional amendment that would appear on the 2024 ballot. The initiatives cleared for signature gathering address:…
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Texas legislature refers constitutional amendment to May 2022 ballot
Texas voters will decide on a constitutional amendment related to a property tax reduction for elderly and disabled residents on May 7, 2022. The amendment was passed during the second special legislative session, which convened on Aug. 7, 2021. The amendment would authorize the state legislature to reduce the property tax limit for school maintenance…
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Initiative filed in Massachusetts to classify app-based drivers as independent contractors
On August 4, Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work filed two versions of a ballot initiative with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office that would classify app-based transportation (rideshare) and delivery drivers as independent contractors. It would also adopt labor and wage policies specific to app-based drivers and companies. The initiative is similar to California’s Proposition 22…