Voters have decided on at least nine ballot measures related to religion in public schools during the past 100 years. The decade with the highest number was in the 1970s, when voters decided on four between 1970 and 1972. Topics included the Ten Commandments, the Bible, prayer and contemplation, religious clothing, excused absence for religious…
Voters in Arizona will decide on competing measures related to electoral systems—the methods used to conduct elections and count votes to determine winners. Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature voted to place Proposition 133 on the ballot, while Proposition 140 is a citizen-initiated ballot measure from the Make Elections Fair PAC. Proposition 133 would add…
Since 2010, Ballotpedia has tracked signature costs for ballot initiative campaigns, and this year marks the highest average cost-per-signature recorded so far. A ballot initiative is a citizen-initiated ballot measure. Signatures are collected to place the proposals on the ballot. In 2024, the average cost-per-required-signature (CPRS) rose to $14.87, up from $12.97 in 2022 and…
For 2024, 159 statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot, including 146 for Nov. 5. As of October 30, Ballotpedia identified $1.12 billion in contributions to support or oppose this year’s statewide measures. In 2022, for comparison, $1.10 billion was raised through December 31, 2022, to support or oppose 140 state ballot measures. This…
Voters in California will decide on 10 statewide ballot propositions, including Proposition 5, on Nov. 5. Proposition 5 would lower the vote threshold requirement for local bond measures to fund affordable housing and public infrastructure projects, as defined in the text. Heading into November, a two-thirds vote (or about 66.67%) is needed for voters to…
Voters in five cities will decide local ballot measures related to ranked-choice voting (RCV) on Nov. 5. Measures to adopt RCV are on the ballot in Richmond, California, and Oak Park, Illinois. The largest jurisdiction to vote on ranked-choice voting on Nov. 5 is the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., Initiative 83 would establish…
The language for the 159 statewide ballot measures in 41 states in 2024 is written at an average reading level of 16, equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. This is a decrease from the average reading level of 19 in 2023 and 2022. Sixty-nine (69) of the ballot measures included additional information, known as a ballot summary,…
Abortion isn’t just an issue for state ballot measures. Voters in at least two cities, Amarillo, Texas, and San Francisco, California, will decide on abortion-related local ballot initiatives on Nov. 5. Both address an issue that the state ballot measures do not—how governments address abortion beyond their jurisdictions. In Amarillo, voters will decide on Proposition…
On Nov. 5, 2024, voters will decide on two sets of competing ballot measures: two in Nebraska related to abortion, and two in Arizona related to electoral systems. Two or more initiatives may qualify for the same ballot but conflict with one another. Constitutional amendments affect statutory measures but not vice-versa. When both are statutes,…
The last ballot initiative pending signature verification for the election on Nov. 5, 2024—Arkansas Issue 3—failed to make the ballot, according to Secretary of State John Thurston. The total number of statewide ballot measures certified for elections in 2024 is 160. Several measures are facing litigation, which could result in them being voided before the…