Category: Ballot measures

  • Oklahoma will vote on marijuana legalization in March. Ohio could follow in November

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    Voters in Oklahoma will decide on State Question 820, an initiative to legalize marijuana, on March 7, 2023. Voters in Ohio could decide on an initiative to legalize marijuana in Nov. 2023. Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, which is leading the campaign in support of State Question 820, wanted the citizen-initiated measure on the ballot…

  • Seattle to decide on Social Housing Developer initiative on Feb. 14

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    On Feb. 14, Seattle voters will decide on Initiative 135, an initiative to create the Seattle Social Housing Developer, a public development authority to own, develop, and maintain what the initiative describes as social housing. According to Initiative 135, this housing would provide publicly financed apartments that are “removed from market forces and speculation” and…

  • Signatures submitted for “Right to Repair Act” initiative in Maine

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    On Jan. 19, 2023, the Maine Right to Repair Coalition submitted more than 70,000 signatures for a ballot initiative to allow car owners and independent repair facilities to have access to vehicle on-board diagnostic systems. The initiative targets automobile diagnostic data that is transmitted wirelessly to vehicle manufacturers. According to the Maine Right to Repair…

  • Wisconsin State Legislature sends three ballot questions to the April ballot

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    Wisconsin voters will be deciding on three ballot questions—two constitutional measures and one advisory question—on April 4.  The constitutional measures relate to the conditions of release for an accused individual before conviction and cash bail. The two questions were referred to the ballot with the final passage of Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2) on…

  • 160 ballot initiatives have been filed for the 2023 election cycle as of Jan. 1

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    As of Jan. 1, proponents have filed 160 ballot initiatives in four states for elections in 2023. Washington leads with 151 ballot initiatives. The three other states include Colorado (one initiative), Maine (six initiatives), and Ohio (two initiatives). Between 2011 and 2021, an average of 161 ballot initiatives were filed for odd-numbered-year ballots. The highest…

  • Maine campaign submits signatures for initiative that would require voter approval for state entities and electric cooperatives borrowing $1 billion or more

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    On Dec. 27, 2022, a campaign in Maine submitted signatures for an initiative that would require voter approval for borrowing $1 billion or more by state entities or electric cooperatives. The No Blank Checks campaign, which submitted 93,000 signatures to the secretary of state, opposes the Pine Tree Power Company initiative, which would create a…

  • Ballotpedia’s analysis of 2022 local ballot measures in California

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    In 2022, there were 572 local ballot measures on six different election dates in California. Voters approved 396 (69%) of these measures and rejected 176 (31%). Out of these measures, 470 of them were on the November 8, 2022, ballot. There were 147 fewer local ballot measures than in the previous even-year election in 2020.…

  • Ballotpedia’s analysis of 2022 local ballot measures in top 100 largest cities and state capitals

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    There were 382 local ballot measures in 39 different states on the ballot for voters in the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. and state capitals. Of the measures, 348 (91.10%) were approved, and 34 (8.90%) were defeated. Of the 382 local ballot measures within the top 100 cities and state capitals in 2022,…

  • Signatures required for ballot initiatives decreased by 7.34% on average following the 2022 election

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    Signatures required for ballot initiatives decreased by 7.34% on average following the 2022 election. Heading into 2023, signature requirements for citizen-initiated measures will change in 20 states. There are 26 states that allow for initiatives or referendums, and in each of these states, the number of signatures required is tied to another number. The most…

  • Ballotpedia’s year-end analysis of statewide ballot measures

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    Ballotpedia published its year-end analysis of the 140 statewide ballot measures voters decided in 2022. The year-end analysis provides: a breakdown of approval rates by measure type a breakdown of measures by topic historical comparisons of the numbers and types of measures data on citizen initiative activity compared to recent election cycles a summary of…