Category: Ballot measures
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Update on this year’s and next year’s ballot measure certifications
For 2024, 55 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 25 states, which is one less than the average (56) for this point in the election cycle from 2012 to 2022. The average number of statewide ballot measures certified for an even-numbered year during this period was 157. Here’s an update on…
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Voters in San Francisco, California, will decide on seven local ballot measures on March 5
Voters in San Francisco, California, will decide on seven ballot measures on Mar. 5, 2024, including one bond measure, one charter amendment, four ordinances, and one declaration. The ballot measures concern topics related to housing bonds, allowing commercial spaces to be converted to residential properties without incurring a real estate transfer tax, local ethics laws,…
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At least 21 states have adopted laws addressing the readability of ballot measure language
Ballotpedia identified 21 states that have enacted laws addressing how legislators, secretaries of state, or other election officials write the question or description of a ballot measure. New York and North Dakota were the most recent states to do so in 2023. The New York State Legislature passed a law requiring that state ballot measure…
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Signatures certified for ballot initiative related to police pursuits in Washington; five more are pending signature verification
On Jan. 11, 2024, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) certified that enough valid signatures were submitted for Initiative 2113, meaning the initiative was certified to the state legislature. Initiative 2113 was designed to remove certain restrictions on police officers’ vehicular pursuits. The Let’s Go Washington PAC, which is sponsoring the initiative, submitted 434,594…
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Signatures submitted for $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave initiative in Alaska
On Jan. 10, the Better Jobs for Alaska campaign submitted more than 41,000 signatures for an initiative that would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The initiative may appear on the Nov. 2024 general election ballot. The initiative would increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by July 1, 2027. It would…
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Update on this year’s and next year’s ballot measure certifications
For 2024, 55 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 25 states, which is equivalent to the average for this point in the election cycle from 2012 to 2022. The average number of statewide ballot measures certified for an even-numbered year during this period was 157. In Alaska, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington,…
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Florida abortion rights initiative surpasses signature requirement to appear on 2024 ballot pending state supreme court approval
Floridians Protecting Freedom has submitted 911,169 valid signatures to place an initiative on the Nov. 2024 ballot that would prohibit any state laws that restrict, delay, penalize, or ban abortion before fetal viability. To qualify for the ballot, 891,523 valid signatures (equal to 8% of the total votes cast in the last presidential election) were…
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More legislative changes to the ballot measure process and direct democracy in 2023 than previous five years
Legislatures enacted more pieces of legislation related to direct democracy—ballot initiatives, referendums, and recall petitions—in 2023 than the previous five years. In 2023, 45 bills and resolutions were enacted, which exceeds the annual average of 32 for this period. The previous largest number of bills enacted was 44 in 2019. While there was an increase…
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Number of California local ballot measures during odd-numbered years continues downward trend
California voters decided on 45 local ballot measures in 2023. These local ballot measures included county measures, city or town measures, or measures from local school districts or special districts. In 2023, there was one less measure than in the previous odd-numbered election year in 2021, when California voters decided on 46 local ballot measures.…
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Initiative that would limit campaign contributions to super PACs may appear on Maine 2024 ballot
In Maine, a campaign supporting a ballot initiative to limit the amount of campaign contributions to independent expenditure-only political action committees says that it has collected enough signatures to make the 2024 ballot. Cara McCormick, chairperson of the Maine Citizens to End Super PACs, the campaign behind the initiative, said, “While we are still waiting…