Author: Victoria Antram
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Seven local jurisdictions voted on ranked-choice voting measures in 2023
In 2023, seven local jurisdictions voted on local ballot measures to adopt or repeal ranked-choice voting, which is the second-highest number of measures in a year behind 2022 which had nine. Voters in East Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Royal Oak, Michigan, approved measures on Nov. 7 to adopt ranked-choice voting for local offices. The voting system…
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Wisconsin to vote on prohibiting private funds in elections and a second question related to election officials at the April primary election
The Wisconsin State Legislature voted to send one constitutional amendment as two ballot questions to the April 2, 2024, ballot. The first question asks voters to prohibit governments from applying or accepting non-governmental funds or equipment for the administration of any primary, election, or referendum. The second question asks voters to provide that only election…
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Wisconsin could become the eighth state to add language to its state constitution authorizing “only” United States citizens to vote in elections
The Wisconsin State Legislature took the final vote on Nov. 9 to send a constitutional amendment to the Nov. 2024 ballot that would add language to the state constitution to provide that only U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or older can vote in federal, state, local, or school elections. Currently, the constitution says,…
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Seven states have banned foreign spending in ballot measure elections. Maine voters will decide the issue with Question 2 on Nov. 7.
In Maine, voters will decide on Question 2 on Nov. 7. Question 2, a citizen-initiated statute, would prohibit foreign governments, or entities with at least 5% foreign government ownership or control, from spending money to influence ballot measures or candidate elections. Federal law currently prohibits contributions, donations, expenditures (including independent expenditures), and disbursements by foreign…
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2023 statewide ballot measures written at graduate school reading level
The ballot language for the 41 statewide ballot measures on the ballot in eight states in 2023 is written at an average reading level of 19 (third-year graduate school reading level), which is up from 18 years in 2021. Ballotpedia identified five measures with a ballot summary, which is longer than the ballot title or…
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Maine Question 2 addresses foreign spending in elections. What is the history of the topic in Maine?
On Nov. 7, Maine voters will decide on Question 2, a ballot initiative to prohibit foreign governments, or entities with at least 5% foreign government ownership or control, from spending money to influence ballot measures or candidate elections. The issue of foreign contributions to ballot measure campaigns was discussed during the 2021 election cycle when…
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Voters in Maine to decide Question 2 to ban foreign government spending in elections
Maine voters will decide on a ballot initiative next month to ban foreign governments, or entities with at least 5% foreign government ownership or control, from spending money to influence ballot measures or candidate elections. If approved, Maine would join California, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington in prohibiting foreign nationals from…
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California Gov. Newsom signs pair of bills sending changes to the state’s Mental Health Services Act to voters in March 2024
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Senate Bill 326 (SB 326) and Assembly Bill 531 (AB 531), which would make changes to the state’s Mental Health Services Act and issue $6.4 billion in bonds, on Oct. 12. Voters will decide on the legislation as Proposition 1 on March 5, 2024. In the press release, Gov. Newsom…
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Nebraska voters to decide on veto referendum to repeal tax credits for education scholarship accounts
The Nebraska Secretary of State announced that a veto referendum to repeal Legislative Bill 75—an act that established tax credits for taxpayers who contribute to education scholarships for students to attend private schools—qualified for the November 2024 ballot on Oct. 10. Support Our Schools, the committee behind the referendum, submitted over 117,000 signatures on Aug.…
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Gov. Newsom signs legislative compromise on fast food restaurant minimum wage and working conditions; campaign announces it will withdraw referendum
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 1228 (AB 1228) on Sept. 28. AB 1228 is a legislative compromise reached with proponents of a veto referendum on a different bill (Assembly Bill 257) that qualified for the 2024 ballot. AB 1228 will repeal AB 257, which was passed during the 2022 legislative session. AB…