The California State Legislature passed two constitutional amendments on Sept. 14, 2023, that would change voter approval thresholds for certain ballot measures. Both of the constitutional amendments will appear on the ballot in Nov. 2024. The first constitutional amendment, ACA 1, would lower the voter approval threshold from two-thirds (66.67%) to 55% for local special…
In 2023, 41 statewide ballot measures are certified for the ballot in eight states—the highest number for an odd-numbered year since 2007. Measures in Maine, Ohio, and Texas, in particular, contributed to the above-average number of state ballot measures in 2023. From 2009 to 2021, odd-numbered years had an average of 32 statewide measures. Voters…
The Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed a charter amendment in June, referring it to the Nov. 2023 ballot, that would make the Office for People with Disabilities a permanent part of city government by making it a part of the city charter. Philadelphia currently has a Mayor’s Office on People with Disabilities, which was established…
The Ohio Ballot Board approved the ballot title for a citizen-initiated measure to provide a state constitutional right to abortion and other reproductive matters. The initiated constitutional amendment will be on the ballot as Issue 1 on Nov. 7, 2023. The Ohio Ballot Board voted 3-2 to reject including the entire text of the amendment…
As of August 22, 2023, 41 statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in eight states, 13 more measures than the average number certified at this point in other odd-numbered years from 2011 to 2021. For 2024, 47 statewide measures have been certified in 22 states. That’s one more measure than the average number…
Ohio voters will decide on an initiative to legalize marijuana for adult use on Nov. 7. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) announced on Aug. 16 that the measure qualified for the ballot after the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted more than the required number of valid signatures. The initiative would legalize…
As of August 8, 2023, 40 statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in eight states, 13 more measures than the average number certified at this point in other odd-numbered years from 2011 to 2021. For 2024, 47 statewide measures have been certified in 22 states. That’s two more measures than the average number…
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the campaign supporting a marijuana legalization initiative in Ohio, submitted an additional round of 6,545 signatures to the secretary of state on Aug. 3, 2023. If enough valid signatures are found, this would qualify the initiative for the Nov. 7, 2023, ballot in Ohio. The initiative needs at…
An initiated state statute to prohibit election spending by foreign governments, including entities with partial government ownership or control, will appear on the Maine ballot on Nov. 7, 2023. In Nov. 2022, Protect Maine Elections, which is the campaign behind the initiative, submitted 67,550 valid signatures, meeting the signature requirement of 63,067 signatures, and was…
Ohio voters will decide on a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment related to reproductive decisions, including abortion, in Nov. 2023. This is the first and only statewide abortion measure certified for the ballot in 2023. Two more are currently set for 2024. On July 25, 2023, Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) announced that of the 710,131…