Category: Ballot measures
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Washington voters have decided on 510 ballot measures since statehood in 1889
Since Washington became the 42nd state in 1889, voters have decided on 510 ballot measures. The state adopted a process for citizen initiatives and referendums in 1912. Of the 510 measures, 268 measures were approved (52.5%), and 242 measures were defeated (47.5%). Washington provides initiated state statutes, including indirect initiated state statutes, and veto referendums.…
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Ohio voters have decided on 306 state ballot measures since 1910; the 307th is scheduled for May 6, 2025
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Ohio ballot measures since 1910. Between 1910 and 2024, Ohioans voted on 306 ballot measures. Voters approved 169 measures (55.2%) and rejected 137 measures (44.8%). In Ohio, measures can be placed on the ballot through the state legislature as well as through citizen initiatives. Between 1910 and 2024, the…
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Ballot measure campaigns in 2024 raised more than the last three even-year election cycles
In 2024, campaigns supporting and opposing the 159 ballot measures that appeared on statewide ballots received more than $1.3 billion in contributions—more than each of the last three even-year election cycles. Campaigns in 2020 raised the second-highest amount ($1.2 billion) despite having the fewest number of ballot measures—129. Campaigns behind the 11 measures in California…
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Vermont towns to vote on ballot measures related to the Israel-Palestine conflict
Voters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and five Vermont towns will decide on ballot measures related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in the coming months. On May 20, Pittsburgh voters will decide on two charter amendments passed by the city council in response to a proposed citizen initiative that may also appear on the ballot. The potential citizen…
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Oregon voters have defeated more ballot measures than they have approved since 1900
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Oregon ballot measures since 1900. Oregon voters decided on 881 ballot measures between 1900 and 2024—defeating over 53% of them. Four hundred eleven (411) measures were approved, and four hundred seventy (470) measures were defeated. Of the 881 ballot measures, 14 were decided by less than a percentage point…
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Voters to decide 15 ballot measures on March 4 Town Meeting Day in Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier voters will decide on 15 measures on the Town Meeting Day ballot on March 4, including three measures relating to the Montpelier Roxbury School District. Town Meeting Day is held at Montpelier City Hall on the first Tuesday of March. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Vermont law makes Town Meeting…
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Wisconsin voters have decided on 257 ballot measures since statehood
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Wisconsin ballot measures since 1846, when voters decided on a ballot measure to form a state government. Wisconsin decided on 257 ballot measures between 1846 and 2024. Of these, 184 measures (71.6%) were approved, while 73 (28.4%) were defeated. Only the Wisconsin State Legislature can place a ballot measure…
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Mosquitos, MADs, and a local ballot measure in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, on March 29
Voters in Louisiana will decide on 56 local ballot measures in 27 of the state’s 64 parishes, along with four state constitutional amendments, on March 29, 2025. The local ballot measures cover a range of jurisdictions, including parishes, cities, school districts, and special districts, such as the Tangipahoa Parish Mosquito Abatement District (MAD). The ballot…
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Update on 2025 and 2026 ballot measure certifications: Wisconsin certifies Voter ID Amendment for April 1
The number of certified ballot measures for 2025 and 2026 is trending above the average as of Jan. 21, 2025. For 2025, six statewide ballot measures have been certified in three states—Louisiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Six is three measures more than the average of three for this point in an odd-numbered-year election cycle since 2010.…
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Fourteen bills that could make the initiative process more difficult were passed in 2024, tying with 2021 for the highest total since 2018
In the 2024 legislative sessions, 40 bills and resolutions concerning direct democracy—such as ballot initiatives, referendums, and recall petitions—were passed. This exceeded the annual average of 34 bills enacted between 2018 and 2023. In 2024, state legislatures passed 14 bills that could make the initiative process more difficult and four bills that could make it…