Category: Ballot measures
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New York voters will decide debt limits for small city school districts in 2023
In New York, voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to remove the debt limit on small city school districts at the election on Nov. 7, 2023. The New York Constitution places a debt limit on small city school districts, which are defined as districts located in cities with fewer than 125,000 inhabitants. The debt…
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Amendment to prohibit nongovernmental funds to fund elections introduced in Louisiana House
A constitutional amendment was introduced in the Louisiana House of Representatives on April 3 that would prohibit funds from a foreign government or any nongovernmental source to be used to conduct elections. As of January 2023, 24 states had enacted legislation to prohibit private funding for election administration. According to NCSL, these laws were enacted…
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Amendment to require direct partisan primary elections will be decided by Arizona voters in 2024
Voters in Arizona will decide on a constitutional amendment to require that direct partisan primaries be conducted in a way that allows political parties to nominate a candidate or candidates (in multi-seat districts) for the general election. The amendment wouldn’t change the current process but could preempt top-four primaries, as seen in Alaska, or other…
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Update on this year’s and next year’s ballot measure certifications
As of April 4, 2023, six statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in three states for elections in 2023. That’s the same as the average number (6) certified at this point in other odd-numbered years from 2011 to 2021. For 2024, 23 statewide measures have been certified in 12 states. That’s seven more…
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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…