
Voters in Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, will decide similar ballot initiatives on November 3, 2026, concerning the force-feeding of birds and the sale of foie gras. Foie gras means fatty liver in French. The USDA defines goose- and duck-liver foie gras as liver “obtained exclusively from specially fed and fattened geese and ducks.” Pro-Animal…

Fairness for Girls, the campaign behind an initiative to codify sports eligibility requirements based on sex in the Nebraska Constitution, submitted more than 211,000 signatures on June 30. The signature deadline is July 2. The initiative would add a new section to Article VII of the state constitution, requiring schools to "designate each athletic team…

As of June 23, 142 statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in 39 states, 27 more measures than the average number certified at this point in other even-numbered years over the past decade (2014 to 2024). Here’s an update on the latest ballot measure activity during the past two weeks: The most recent…

Two initiatives, with rideshare companies and trial attorneys taking opposing sides of the campaigns, qualified for the November ballot in California on June 17. One initiative sponsored by Uber would require car accident victims to receive at least 75% of the total amount of damages recovered; establish standards for the recovery of medical expenses based…

A ballot initiative, sponsored by the California Hospital Association (CHA), to require healthcare labor unions to inform members annually how member dues are being spent on political activities, specifically spending on state and local ballot measures, and require a majority of members to approve such expenditures qualified for the November ballot on June 5. The…

There are nine states that authorize indirect initiatives, either statutes or constitutional amendments, where citizen-proposed ballot measures are first presented to state legislatures. Between 2018 and 2025, 40 indirect initiatives were certified to state legislatures. Ten were approved by state legislatures, while 17 were approved and 13 were rejected by voters. For the 2026 ballot,…

Voters in Washington will decide on two ballot initiatives that address school sports eligibility requirements based on biological sex and certain parental rights in public schools on Nov. 3, 2026. Sports eligibility initiative The first initiative that voters in Washington will decide on, known as IL26-638, is also the first statewide measure related to biological…

Protect Prop. 13, the campaign behind the initiative to require a two-thirds supermajority vote to enact citizen-initiated local special taxes in California, reported submitting over 1.3 million signatures to local county officials for verification on Feb. 25. The measure is an initiated constitutional amendment that would increase the vote threshold from a simple majority to…

In Colorado, signatures were submitted on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20, 2026, to the secretary of state for three ballot initiatives related to increasing penalties for the human trafficking of minors, requiring interscholastic sports teams to be designated based on biological sex, and prohibiting healthcare professionals from performing surgeries on minors that would alter their…

Voters in eight states could decide on 12 ballot measures related to sex, gender, and LGBTQ issues in 2026. Of these 12 measures, one has been certified for the ballot—Missouri Amendment 3. The other 11 are proposed, either citizen-initiated ballot measures that have been cleared for signature gathering or legislative referrals that require additional votes.…