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…
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…
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…
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…
Nine statewide ballot measures related to abortion have been certified in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New York, Nevada, and South Dakota for the general election ballot in 2024. This is the most on record for a single year. Montana is the most recent state to add an abortion measure to the ballot. The…
Voters in Arizona will decide on a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment, titled Proposition 139, to provide a state constitutional right to abortion on Nov. 5, 2024. On Aug. 12, 2024, the office of Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) verified 577,971 signatures. Arizona for Abortion Access, the campaign supporting the initiative, said in a statement that…
During the 2024 legislative sessions, 326 pieces of legislation related to direct democracy—ballot initiatives, referendums, and recall petitions—were proposed. As of August 5, 33 bills and resolutions were enacted, close to the annual average of 34 enacted bills between 2018 and 2023. Of the 33 enacted pieces of legislation, 10 were designed to make the…
For 2024, 140 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 39 states, two fewer measures than the average (142) 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. In 2022, 140 measures were…
The D.C. Board of Elections voted unanimously on Aug. 2 to send Initiative 83 to the Nov. 5 ballot to allow voters to decide on whether to create a semi-open primary system allowing voters who are unaffiliated with a political party to vote in a party primary election and establish ranked-choice voting for elections in…
North Dakota voters will decide on a ballot initiative in Nov. 2024 to prohibit property taxes, except those used to pay for bond debt. End Unfair Property Tax, the campaign supporting the measure, submitted around 41,000 to the secretary of state’s office on June 28, 2024. On Aug. 2, Secretary of State John Thurston certified…