Category: Ballot measures
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Missouri voters to decide on ballot measure requiring voter approval in each congressional district for citizen-initiated amendments and adding foreign spending ban and petition fraud crime to the constitution
Voters in Missouri will decide on a constitutional amendment to require voter approval of citizen-initiated constitutional amendments in each congressional district, rather than statewide. The constitutional amendment would also add language to the Missouri Constitution prohibiting foreign nationals and foreign adversaries, as defined, from spending to support or oppose ballot measures, with penalties for violations, and…
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South Dakota voters have decided on 366 ballot measures since statehood in 1889
Since achieving statehood in 1889, South Dakotans have voted on 366 statewide ballot measures. Voters approved 160 (43.7%) and rejected 206 (56.3%). In South Dakota, most measures are placed on the ballot by the South Dakota State Legislature or through a successful citizen initiative. The Legislature voted to refer 233 measures to the state ballot,…
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Massachusetts attorney general approves 44 initiatives to gather signatures for the 2026 and 2028 ballots
The Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General announced on Sept. 3 that 44 separate initiative petitions have been approved to begin gathering signatures in support of the proposed laws. The attorney general’s approval to gather signatures does not indicate support for the initiatives or a guarantee that the initiative will be placed on the ballot.…
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Ballot measure update: Redistricting measure certified in California for 2025 during past two weeks; no new measures certified for 2026
The California State Legislature voted to send a redistricting amendment to the Nov. 4, 2025, ballot—bringing the total number of certified measures for 2025 to 30, which is equal to the average for odd-numbered year election cycles since 2011. 2025 ballot measures For 2025, 30 statewide ballot measures have been certified in nine states—California, Colorado,…
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Proponents file recreational marijuana initiative in Nebraska for 2026 ballot—the fifth initiative attempt since 2018
An initiative to amend the Nebraska Constitution to establish a “right to use all plants in the genus Cannabis” for individuals 21 years of age or older was filed on Aug. 18. This is the fifth initiative filed to effectively legalize recreational marijuana since 2018. None has ever submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for…
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On this date in 1974, Alaska voters approved an initiative to change the state’s capital city, which did not occur
Fifty-one years ago, on August 27, 1974, Alaskan voters approved Initiative 1, a ballot measure that began the process to move the state capital from Juneau to a city in Western Alaska. It was the third measure on the ballot in fourteen years that would have required a change in the capital city. Alaskans have…
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Democratic and Republican trifecta states have each averaged 19 ballot initiatives since 2010
Democratic and Republican trifectas each averaged 19 ballot initiatives for even-numbered year elections between 2010 and 2024. States with divided governments averaged 15 initiatives. Twenty-six (26) states provide for a statewide ballot initiative process, where citizens place constitutional amendments, statutes, or veto referendums on the ballot. Following the 2024 elections, 22 of the 26 states…
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Alaska’s ballot measure history: 220 statewide measures decided by voters
Ballotpedia has completed an inventory of all Alaska ballot measures since 1956—the year voters ratified the state constitution and three years before Alaska gained statehood. Since 1956, voters have decided 220 ballot measures. Of those, 158 (72%) were approved and 62 (28%) were defeated. In Alaska, most measures are placed on the ballot either through…
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State lawmakers enacted 72 bills on ballot measures and direct democracy in 2025, the highest total since at least 2017
States have enacted 72 bills and resolutions concerning the three powers of direct democracy in the U.S.—the ballot initiative, referendum, and recall election—in 2025 through Aug. 8. The average number of bills and resolutions enacted per year from 2018 to 2024 was 35. While most bills are adopted during the first half of the year…
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Ohio voters could decide same-sex marriage amendments in 2026
Two citizen initiatives in Ohio, which would amend the state constitution regarding same-sex marriage, were certified to circulate for signature-gathering in the state. If enough signatures are submitted, these amendments will be decided by voters in 2026. One initiative would repeal language in the Ohio Constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman,…