Category: Ballot measures
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Colorado voters to decide on ballot initiative establishing state constitutional right to purchase and sell natural gas
Voters in Colorado will decide on a ballot measure related to the right to purchase and sell natural gas to homes and businesses. Initiative 177 The measure — known as Initiative 177 — would add a new section to Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution to establish the right for consumers to purchase natural gas…
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Over the past two weeks, one new ballot measure in Maryland, one removed in Arizona
As of August 4, 149 statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in 39 states, 14 more measures than the average number certified at this point in other even-numbered years over the past decade (2014 to 2024). Over the past two weeks: The most recent signature deadline for ballot initiatives was August 3, 2026,…
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State lawmakers enacted 37 bills on ballot measures and direct democracy through mid-2026
States have enacted 37 bills and resolutions concerning the three powers of direct democracy in the U.S. — the ballot initiative, referendum, and recall election — in 2026, through Aug. 5, 2026. The average number of bills and resolutions enacted per year from 2018 to 2025 was 41. While most bills are adopted during the…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado graduated income tax measure that competes with proposed income tax cap initiative
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state on August 3, 2026, for a ballot initiative to establish a graduated income tax. Known as Initiative 195, the measure would establish a six-tier structure for state income taxes, ranging from 3.7% to 8.4%, and remove the uniform tax rate requirement from the Taxpayer's Bill…
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Signatures submitted in Colorado for initiative that would require approval from an independent commission and the state supreme court for mid-decade redistricting maps
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state's office on July 29 for a ballot initiative related to mid-decade redistricting. The measure — known as Initiative 256 — would require any mid-decade redistricting plan to be approved by both the state's independent redistricting commission and the Colorado Supreme Court. The initiative would also…
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Two referred ballot measures were ruled unconstitutional and blocked from the Arizona ballot by Maricopa County Judges
Arizona voters will not decide Proposition 143 or Proposition 145 after two separate Maricopa County Superior judges ruled they violated the state’s separate amendment rule and were unconstitutional. Proposition 143 On July 24, Judge Gregory Como issued a ruling stating that Proposition 143 was unconstitutional. Proposition 143, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment, would have prohibited…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado initiative that would retain sales tax revenue for environmental fund
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state's office on July 27 for a ballot initiative related to the allocation of sales tax revenue. The measure, Initiative 308, would exempt sales tax revenue generated from the sale of sporting goods and equipment from the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) provision, which requires excess…
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2026 will be the first even-numbered year since 1966 without an initiative on the general election ballot in Oregon after an initiative to ban hunting fails to qualify
The Oregon Secretary of State announced on July 24 that an initiative to ban hunting in the state did not submit a sufficient number of valid signatures, missing the signature threshold for the November ballot. No other campaigns submitted signatures this election cycle in Oregon by the July 2 deadline. 2026 will be the first…
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Voters to decide at least six statewide voter ID measures in 2026; most in a single year
Voters will decide at least six ballot measures related to voter identification requirements in 2026. These six measures represent the largest number of statewide ballot measures related to voter identification in a single year. Each ballot measure would establish or expand voter identification requirements in state constitutions, while none would reduce or eliminate existing requirements.…
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Hawaii has decided on 144 ballot measures since 1950
Since 1950, Hawaii voters have decided on 144 ballot measures. Of those, 121 (84%) were approved, and 23 (16%) were defeated. In Hawaii, the state legislature can refer constitutional amendments and state statutes to the ballot. However, citizens of Hawaii do not have the power to initiate statewide ballot measures, and the state has never…