Tag: ballot iniatives
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2026 ballot titles required 17 years of education to read, down from a record 21 in 2025
In 2026, 164 statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in 40 states. The average FKGL for ballot titles, also known as ballot questions, was 17, which corresponds with a first-year graduate student. The average FRE for ballot titles was 18. The ballot language for the 164 statewide ballot measures in 40 states in…
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Nearly two-thirds of 2026 legislative referrals were driven by one political party
State legislatures in 32 states referred 109 constitutional amendments and statutes to statewide ballots in 2026. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of those referrals reflect partisan divisions in the legislative votes that sent them to the ballot. Ballotpedia analyzed how Democrats and Republicans voted on each referral. Of the 109 legislatively referred measures on the ballot this…
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Three measures certified in the past two weeks, bringing the 2026 statewide total to 164 — 11 above the decade average
As of Sept. 15, 164 statewide measures had been certified in 40 states — 11 more than the average at this point in even-numbered years from 2014 through 2024. With no additional measures eligible for the November ballot, the final 2026 total is 164: 145 on the November ballot and 19 decided earlier in the…
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2026 had the fewest ballot initiatives filed since 2014, with 692
In 2026, petitioners filed 692 ballot initiatives in the 26 states that authorize the initiative and referendum power — the fewest filed since 2014, when 616 were filed. Of the 692 filed this year, 53 initiatives qualified for statewide ballots, in line with the average number certified in even-numbered years from 2010 to 2024. For…
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Over the past two weeks, 10 new ballot measures certified across Colorado and Nebraska, and one removed from the ballot in Colorado
As of Sept. 1, 161 statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in 40 states, 12 more measures than the average number certified at this point in other even-numbered years over the past decade (2014 to 2024). Over the past two weeks: By this point in even-numbered years from 2014 through 2024, an average…
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2026 ballot measure count surpasses 153-measure even-year average, reaching 157 with Nebraska and Colorado certifications
Two Nebraska sports-betting initiatives and three initiatives in Colorado were certified, bringing the nationwide total for 2026 to 157 measures. This exceeds the average of 153 measures certified per even-numbered year. The average is based on the past six even-numbered election cycles, from 2014 through 2024. During this period, 2018 had the most statewide ballot…
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Colorado voters to decide on the first citizen initiative establishing a constitutional right to hunt and fish
Voters in Colorado will decide on a ballot measure related to the right to hunt and fish on Nov. 3, 2026. Initiative 302 The initiated constitutional amendment — Initiative 302 — would establish the right of the people to hunt, fish, and otherwise take fish and wildlife, including by traditional methods. It would also specify…
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Colorado voters to decide on an initiative that would retain sales tax revenue for an environmental fund
Voters in Colorado will decide on a ballot measure related to the allocation of sales tax revenue on Nov. 3, 2026. Initiative 308 The measure, Initiative 308, would exempt sales tax revenue generated from the sale of sporting goods and equipment from the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) provision, which requires excess funds to be…
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Arizona courts block two conflicting school choice-related ballot measures, leaving 2026 without a citizen initiative
Arizona voters will not decide on Proposition 212 or Proposition 145 this November after two Arizona Supreme Court rulings on Aug. 18, 2026, removed both measures from the ballot. Both measures related to Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, but in different ways: Proposition 212 would have restricted ESA eligibility and spending, while Proposition 145…
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Signatures submitted for Colorado graduated income tax measure that competes with proposed income tax cap initiative
In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state on August 3, 2026, for a ballot initiative to establish a graduated income tax. Known as Initiative 195, the measure would establish a six-tier structure for state income taxes, ranging from 3.7% to 8.4%, and remove the uniform tax rate requirement from the Taxpayer's Bill…