Tag: ballot measure
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More legislative changes to the ballot measure process and direct democracy in 2023 than previous five years
Legislatures enacted more pieces of legislation related to direct democracy—ballot initiatives, referendums, and recall petitions—in 2023 than the previous five years. In 2023, 45 bills and resolutions were enacted, which exceeds the annual average of 32 for this period. The previous largest number of bills enacted was 44 in 2019. While there was an increase…
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Update on this year’s and next year’s ballot measure certifications
In 2023, 41 statewide measures were certified for the ballot in eight states, 10 more measures than the average number certified in other odd-numbered years from 2011 to 2021. There are no more pending state ballot measures for 2023. The final election for state ballot measures was on Sat., Nov. 18 in Louisiana, where voters approved…
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New York will require ballot measure questions to not exceed an eighth-grade reading level
Starting in 2024, New York will implement new language requirements for state ballot questions. On Nov. 17, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed Senate Bill 1381 (SB 1381), which requires state ballot measure questions to be written using clear language and not exceed an eighth-grade reading level. In the Legislature, SB 1381 received a unanimous…
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Voters in Ohio to decide on Issue 1, which would provide a state constitutional right to abortion, on Nov. 7
Ohio voters will decide on two statewide ballot measures on Nov. 7, 2023. Along with Issue 2, which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults over 21, voters will also decide on Issue 1, which would create the state constitutional right to abortion and other reproductive matters. Issue 1 is a constitutional amendment, which would add…
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Louisiana voters will decide on Amendment 1 on Oct. 14 that would prohibit private or foreign funding of elections
Amendment 1, on the ballot for Oct. 14, 2023, in Louisiana, would ban private, non-governmental, and foreign funding of elections in the state. While there has been legislation in several states to ban private funding for elections, Louisiana Amendment 1 is the first time that voters will decide the issue. In 2022, voters in Michigan…
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Where have ranked-choice voting measures been on the ballot? 4 states and 45 localities since 1970
The ballot measure has played a role in shaping electoral systems in the U.S., including ranked-choice voting (RCV) for state and local elections. Since 1914, when voters in Los Angeles, California, rejected Amendment 8 to adopt a multi-winner ranked-choice voting system, there have been more than 150 ballot measures to adopt or repeal ranked-choice voting…
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California enacts changes to veto referendum ballot language
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 421 (AB 421), which addresses the veto referendum process, on Sept. 8, 2023. AB 421 changes how veto referendums appear on the ballot, among other provisions. A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. For 2024,…
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California Legislature passes AB 421, which would change how veto referendums appear on the ballot
The California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 421 (AB 421), which addresses the veto referendum process, on Sept. 5, 2023. AB 421 would change how veto referendums appear on the ballot, among other provisions. A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. For 2024,…
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North Carolina governor vetoes elections bill
On Aug. 24, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoed S747, a bill making a number of changes to the state’s election laws. The bill includes provisions expanding the role of election observers, including allowing the chair of each political party in a county to appoint two registered voters of that county as election observers…
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Maine and Ohio see higher than average number of initiatives qualify for the 2023 ballot
In Maine and Ohio, more citizen-initiated ballot measures qualified in 2023 than the average for odd-numbered years between 2011 and 2021 for each respective state. Maine initiative sponsors filed six initiatives and qualified four of the measures for the Nov. 2023 ballot. For the last six odd-numbered years, an average of nearly seven initiatives were…