Tag: ballot measure
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Signatures submitted for Maine initiative to establish extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), a type of firearms regulation
Signatures have been submitted in Maine for a ballot initiative to establish a process for extreme risk protection orders, a policy related to firearms regulation. The ballot initiative, unless approved by the legislature, would appear on the ballot for Nov. 4, 2025. The Maine Gun Safety Coalition reported submitting more than 80,000 signatures to the…
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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…
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Legislatures considered 334 proposals related to initiative, referendum, and recall in 2024 and passed 40 of them
Twenty-six states provide for an initiative or referendum process that allows citizens to collect signatures to place an initiative on the ballot to propose a new law, amend an existing law, or reject a law passed by their state legislature. State constitutions and statutes provide the frameworks that govern a state’s direct democracy process, including…
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Alaska voters may decide on campaign finance and ranked-choice voting repeal ballot initiatives in 2026
Alaska voters may decide on two citizen-initiated measures in 2026—one measure that would enact new campaign finance limits, and another that would repeal top-four ranked choice voting in the state. Both measures are citizen-initiated ballot measures, meaning they were proposed by citizens rather than the state legislature. In Alaska, citizens have the power to initiate…
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Signatures submitted for Maine voter photo ID ballot initiative, which could appear on Nov. 2025 ballot
In Maine, a campaign advocating for a citizen initiative to require photo voter identification submitted more than 170,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office on Jan. 6, 2025. If enough signatures are verified, the initiative could appear on the statewide ballot for voters on Nov. 4, 2025. Maine has an indirect initiative process, meaning…
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Wyoming voters to decide on ballot initiative to exempt 50% of home property value from taxes, the first initiative to appear on the state’s ballot in 30 years
Wyoming voters will decide on a ballot initiative at the Nov. 3, 2026, election—the first initiative to reach the ballot in 30 years. The ballot initiative would create a homeowner’s property tax exemption. This would exempt 50% of a primary residence’s assessed value. To qualify, homeowners must have lived in the state for at least…
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Update on 2025 and 2026 ballot measure certifications: Ohio certifies one for 2025, Wyoming certifies one for 2026
The number of certified ballot measures for 2025 and 2026 is trending above the average as of Jan. 7, 2025. For 2025, five statewide ballot measures have been certified in two states—Louisiana and Ohio. Five is two measures above the average (three) for this point in an odd-numbered year election cycle since 2010. For 2026,…
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Californians decided on 1,306 ballot measures between 1910 and 2024
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all California ballot measures since 1910, the year before the state adopted the initiative and referendum process. Californians decided on 1,306 ballot measures between 1910 and 2024. Seven hundred fifty-two (752) measures were approved, and five hundred fifty-four (554) were defeated. Of the 1,306 ballot measures, 27 were decided by…
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Number of local ballot measures in the 100 largest cities and state capitals has increased every election cycle since 2018
In 2024, Ballotpedia covered local measures that appeared on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. and in the state capitals not among the 100 largest cities. There were 502 local measures across 37 states on the ballot for voters in the top 100 largest cities and state capitals…