Category: Ballot measures
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Voters in Juneau, Alaska, to decide on initiative banning cruise ships on Saturdays and July 4
Voters in Juneau, Alaska, will decide on three ballot measures on Oct. 1, including two bond measures and an initiative that would ban cruise ships in the city on Saturdays. Proposition 2, an initiative sponsored by Ship-Free Saturdays, would ban cruise ships with 250 passengers or more from docking, mooring, or disembarking passengers in Juneau…
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Signature-gathering periods for initiatives vary by state: from 90 days to no limit
When proponents of a citizen-initiated ballot measure collect signatures to verify the measure for the ballot, each state has a time frame for when proponents can collect signatures. This time frame is known as a circulation period, or the length of the signature-gathering period. The length of the circulation period varies between the 26 states…
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Ten state ballot measures related to property taxes on November ballot
Ten ballot measures concerning property taxes are on the ballot in eight states in 2024. Nine of the measures will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, while one, in Louisiana, will be decided on in December. All ten measures were referred to the ballot by the states’ legislatures. During even-numbered years since 2014, there were…
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Thirteen states feature a higher-than-average number of ballot initiatives in 2024, leading to the most initiated measures since 2016
Of the 26 states that allow for citizen-initiated ballot measures, 18 states will feature citizen initiatives on the ballot this year. Thirteen of these states had a higher-than-average number of initiatives certified for their respective statewide ballots this year as compared to even-year election cycles between 2010 and 2022. A total of 931 ballot initiatives…
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Wisconsin voters defeat two ballot measures related to nondelegation
What’s the story? Voters in Wisconsin defeated two constitutional amendments on August 13 related to state appropriations authority. The ballot measures proposed strengthening the state’s nondelegation doctrine—an administrative law principle that limits lawmakers’ ability to delegate legislative powers to executive agencies. The measures’ opponents argued the legislature would slow the distribution of federal funds if…
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Update on 2024 state ballot measure certifications: three certifications in Nebraska, one last initiative in Arkansas pending signature verification
For 2024, 160 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 41 states, which is two above the average (158) 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. The final average, 157, is…
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Florida Amendment 3 exceeds previous records for marijuana legalization campaign contributions
Marijuana has been a recurring trend for ballot measures since at least 2010, though there were a few before then. From 2010 to 2023, there were 24 ballot measures to legalize the recreational or personal use of marijuana. More than $174.83 million was raised between supporters ($146.98 million) and opponents ($27.85 million) of these ballot…
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Nebraska voters to decide on a pair of initiatives to legalize and regulate medical marijuana
The Nebraska Secretary of State announced on Sept. 13 that two ballot initiatives to legalize and regulate medical marijuana were certified for the November ballot. The measures are initiated state statutes that needed valid signatures from 5% of the registered voters (86,499 signatures) in each of two-fifths (38) of Nebraska’s 93 counties. The secretary of state…
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Statewide ballot measures in 2024: abortion, citizenship, electoral systems, criminal justice, and more trends across 41 states
In November, voters will decide on 147 statewide ballot measures in 41 states. Earlier in 2024, voters in five states decided on nine ballot measures. In December, voters in Louisiana will decide on four more. That’s a total of 160 statewide ballot measures for 2024. There is one ballot initiative still pending signature verification in…
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Voters in 10 states will decide on abortion measures in 2024, with at least six measures facing lawsuits
Voters in ten states—Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Nevada, and South Dakota—will decide on 11 abortion-related ballot measures in Nov. 2024. This is the most on record for a single year. Most recently, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that Amendment 3, which would amend the state constitution to provide for a…