Category: Ballot measures
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New Hampshire State Senate passes amendment to keep first-in-the-nation presidential primary
The New Hampshire State Senate voted 23-0 on March 30 to approve a constitutional amendment providing that the New Hampshire primary will be the first in the presidential election. The amendment would add the following language to the New Hampshire Constitution: The secretary of state shall ensure that the presidential primary election be held seven…
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Maryland voters to decide on state constitutional right to abortion in 2024
The Maryland State Legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to voters that would add a new article to the Declaration of Rights in the state constitution establishing a right to reproductive freedom, defined to include “the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.” The amendment was introduced…
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Signature submission deadline for initiatives will change in South Dakota to six months before election day
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed a bill into law that would change signature deadlines for ballot initiatives to six months before election day. This change would affect ballot initiative campaigns in South Dakota, allowing campaigns more time to collect signatures closer to the election date. The bill, Senate Bill 113 (SB 113), changed…
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Update on this year’s and next year’s ballot measure certifications
As of March 21, 2023, five statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in three states for elections in 2023. That’s the same as the average number certified at this point in other odd-numbered years from 2011 to 2021. For 2024, 19 statewide measures have been certified in five states. That’s seven more than…
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Arkansas increases the signature distribution requirement for citizen-initiated ballot measures
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed House Bill 1419 (HB 1419), which increases the signature distribution requirement for citizen-initiated ballot measures, on March 7. Under HB 1419, campaigns will be required to collect signatures from 50 of 75 (67%) counties. Previously, the requirement was 15 of 75 (20%) counties. For citizen-initiated state statutes, the…
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Voters in Burlington, Vermont, and Redondo Beach, California, approve ranked-choice voting measures
Voters in Burlington, Vermont, and Redondo Beach, California approved ranked-choice voting measures in local elections on March 7. Burlington Question 6 was approved with 64.4% of the vote. The measure amended the city’s charter to adopt ranked-choice voting for elections for the mayor, school commissioners, and ward election officers. Before Question 6, the candidate receiving…
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Tempe voters to decide ballot measures for Coyotes arena and entertainment district
Voters in Tempe, Arizona, will decide on three ballot measures proposing an entertainment district on May 16, 2023. The entertainment district would house the Arizona Coyotes arena. The three proposals will appear on the ballot as Proposition 301, Proposition 302, and Proposition 303. Proposition 301 would approve the redevelopment by changing the classification of land…
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Measure related to death benefit for first responders certified for the 2024 ballot in Arizona
Arizona voters will decide on a ballot measure on Nov. 5, 2024, to establish a $20 fine on every conviction for a criminal offense. These fines would go towards paying benefits of $250,000 to the family of a first responder who is killed in the line of duty starting on June 30, 2025. The measure…
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Update on this year’s and next year’s ballot measure certifications
As of March 7, 2023, five statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in three states for elections in 2023. That’s the same as the average number certified at this point in other odd-numbered years from 2011 to 2021. For 2024, 16 statewide measures have been certified in five states. That’s double the average…
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Voters in Oklahoma reject ballot initiative to legalize marijuana
Voters in Oklahoma rejected State Question 820, an initiative to legalize marijuana, on March 7. Results showed 62% voting ‘No’ on Question 820 and 38% voting ‘Yes’. Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, the campaign behind the initiative, wanted the issue on the general election ballot in 2022. However, due to delays in signature verification and…