Author: Victoria Antram
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Voters in six states will decide on 24 statewide ballot measures on Nov. 4, 2025
On Nov. 4, voters in six states—California, Colorado, Maine, New York, Texas, and Washington—will be deciding on 24 statewide ballot measures. Overall, 30 statewide ballot measures are certified for the ballot in nine states in 2025. Earlier in 2025, voters in three states—Louisiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin—decided on six ballot measures. Two were approved, and four…
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California enacts four 2025 laws on ballot measures and recalls, including ban on foreign national contributions to ballot measure campaigns
The California State Legislature passed four bills that make changes to the laws governing ballot measures in the state, including a bill to prohibit foreign nationals from contributing to state and local ballot measure campaigns. Assembly Bill 953 defines foreign nationals as "a person who is not a citizen of the United States and who…
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California voters will decide on a proposition to allow public financing of campaigns in Nov. 2026
California voters will decide in 2026 whether to allow state and local governments to create public financing programs for election campaigns under Senate Bill 42 (SB 42), which Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed on Oct. 2. The measure would repeal a prohibition, enacted through Proposition 73 in 1988, on public officers and candidates using or…
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Ballot measure update: Amendment related to voter approval of citizen initiatives certified in Missouri for 2026; no new measures certified for 2025
The Missouri State Legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot that would require voter approval of citizen-initiated constitutional amendments in each congressional district and add language prohibiting foreign nationals and foreign adversaries, as defined in the measure, from spending to support or oppose ballot measures. 2025 ballot measures For 2025,…
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Citizen-initiated ballot measures have different signature deadlines in each state; here’s what they are for 2026
Twenty-six states permit citizen-initiated ballot measures, with each state setting its own rules for signature collection and filing deadlines. In Nevada, where the citizens can collect signatures for indirect initiated state statutes that require the state legislature to first consider the proposal before it heads to voters, the deadline was Nov. 20, 2024. One indirect…
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Ballot measure update: Redistricting measure certified in California for 2025 during past two weeks; no new measures certified for 2026
The California State Legislature voted to send a redistricting amendment to the Nov. 4, 2025, ballot—bringing the total number of certified measures for 2025 to 30, which is equal to the average for odd-numbered year election cycles since 2011. 2025 ballot measures For 2025, 30 statewide ballot measures have been certified in nine states—California, Colorado,…
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Proponents file recreational marijuana initiative in Nebraska for 2026 ballot—the fifth initiative attempt since 2018
An initiative to amend the Nebraska Constitution to establish a “right to use all plants in the genus Cannabis” for individuals 21 years of age or older was filed on Aug. 18. This is the fifth initiative filed to effectively legalize recreational marijuana since 2018. None has ever submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for…
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Democratic and Republican trifecta states have each averaged 19 ballot initiatives since 2010
Democratic and Republican trifectas each averaged 19 ballot initiatives for even-numbered year elections between 2010 and 2024. States with divided governments averaged 15 initiatives. Twenty-six (26) states provide for a statewide ballot initiative process, where citizens place constitutional amendments, statutes, or veto referendums on the ballot. Following the 2024 elections, 22 of the 26 states…
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UBS quits NZBA
UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank, announced Thursday it is leaving the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), joining several recent global departures from the coalition. UBS was a founding member of the NZBA and is the third major bank to leave in as many weeks. The departures could limit the alliance’s ability to set shared targets and monitor…
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Two ballot initiatives certified for 2025—lowest since 2019
Sponsors filed 109 ballot initiatives in three states for 2025 statewide ballots with two ultimately certified in Maine—tying 2019 with the fewest number of ballot initiatives certified since at least 2011. In 2019, sponsors filed 107 ballot initiatives, the fewest number filed between 2011 and 2025. The average number filed for odd-numbered election years was…