Author: Victoria Antram

  • Wednesday was a signature deadline for 2020 Massachusetts ballot initiatives

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    Ballot initiative campaigns hoping to land a spot on the 2020 Massachusetts ballot had to submit 80,239 signatures to local registrars by Wednesday, November 20. After signatures are verified by local authorities, petitioners must submit those signatures to the secretary of the commonwealth by December 4.   On September 4, the attorney general cleared 10…

  • Colorado local ballot measure election recap

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    Ballotpedia covered eight local measures in Denver, Colorado Springs, Arapahoe County, and Douglas County on Nov. 5. Six were approved, one was defeated, and one has not been called.   Approval of Douglas County Ballot Issue 1A was ahead as of Nov. 14 with a margin of 52.27% to 47.73%. Because of mail-in ballots, this…

  • California local ballot measure election recap

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    According to unofficial election results, voters in local jurisdictions in 13 different California counties approved 35 local ballot measures and defeated eight measures on November 5, 2019.   Two measures are too close to call with certainty. San Francisco Proposition D and Redwood City School District Proposition H are tax measures that require a two-thirds…

  • Boston votes against advising the city to rename Dudley Square to Nubian Square

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    Boston voters defeated a nonbinding advisory question regarding the name change of Dudley Square to Nubian Square. With 100% of precincts reporting, the margin was 45.7% in favor and 54.3% against. Dudley Square was named for Thomas Dudley, the second governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who served from 1634 to 1651. It is located…

  • Boise voters approve Propositions 1 and 2 requiring voter approval for certain levels of spending on library and sports park developments

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    Boise voters approved Proposition 1, with a margin of 69% in favor and 31% opposed, and Proposition 2, with a margin of 75% in favor and 25% opposed. Proposition 1 requires voter approval before the city allocates $25 million or more on library development. Proposition 2 requires majority voter approval in a future election before…

  • Boise, Idaho to vote on two ballot propositions on Tuesday

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    Voters in Boise, Idaho, will head to the polls on Tuesday to vote on two ballot propositions. Proposition 1 would require majority voter approval in a future election for the city to spend $25 million or more on a library development project. In 2018, Boise started plans for the renovation of the Main Library Campus.…

  • 2019 statewide ballot measures receive $21.6 million and counting in campaign contributions

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    There were 36 state ballot measures certified in eight states to appear on 2019 ballots. As of October 25, 2019, Ballotpedia had tracked $21.6 million in contributions to the ballot measure campaigns supporting and opposing eight of those measures. This figure included both cash contributions as well as in-kind goods and services. Support campaigns raised…

  • Ballotpedia’s 2019 ballot measure readability scores—How easy is it to understand what’s on your ballot?

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    In 2019, 36 statewide ballot measures were certified for ballots in eight states. Ballotpedia scored the readability of ballot titles and summaries using two formulas–Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). The FRE formula produces a score between a negative number and 100, with the highest score (100) representing a 5th-grade equivalent reading…

  • Unofficial election results indicate Birmingham ballot measures likely approved on October 8

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    Voters in Birmingham, Alabama, approved three ballot measures—Propositions 1, 2, and 3—on Oct. 8. Proposition 1 continues a 42-cent tax for public school use. Proposition 2 continues the 28-cent tax for public school operations. Proposition 3 continues the 28-cent tax for debt service of school bonds. The total tax rate renewed by the propositions was…

  • Unofficial election results indicate Cary bond measures likely approved in special election

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    The town of Cary voted on two bond issues on Oct. 8. The first measure authorizes the town to issue $112 million in bonds to fund the expansion and creation of parks and recreation facilities. The second measure authorizes the town to issue $113 million in bonds to fund improvements in local transportation. The improvements…