Tag: ballot measure
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Washington voters have decided on 510 ballot measures since statehood in 1889
Since Washington became the 42nd state in 1889, voters have decided on 510 ballot measures. The state adopted a process for citizen initiatives and referendums in 1912. Of the 510 measures, 268 measures were approved (52.5%), and 242 measures were defeated (47.5%). Washington provides initiated state statutes, including indirect initiated state statutes, and veto referendums.…
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Thirty states have adopted English as an official language, 11 through ballot measures since 1920
President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order “[designating] English as the official language of the United States” on March 1, 2025. While the federal government had never before provided for an official national language, 30 states have designated English as their official language. Three—Alaska, Hawaii, and South Dakota—also recognize some indigenous languages as co-official…
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Ohio voters have decided on 306 state ballot measures since 1910; the 307th is scheduled for May 6, 2025
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Ohio ballot measures since 1910. Between 1910 and 2024, Ohioans voted on 306 ballot measures. Voters approved 169 measures (55.2%) and rejected 137 measures (44.8%). In Ohio, measures can be placed on the ballot through the state legislature as well as through citizen initiatives. Between 1910 and 2024, the…
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Maine initiative on voter ID, absentee ballots, and dropboxes certified to legislature; will appear on the November 2025 ballot unless lawmakers enact it
In Maine, signatures for a citizen initiative to require photo voter identification, among other changes, were verified on Feb. 19, 2025. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) announced that the campaign submitted 86,904 valid signatures. A minimum of 67,682 valid signatures was required. The proposed initiative will now go to the state legislature for consideration.…
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Mosquitos, MADs, and a local ballot measure in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, on March 29
Voters in Louisiana will decide on 56 local ballot measures in 27 of the state’s 64 parishes, along with four state constitutional amendments, on March 29, 2025. The local ballot measures cover a range of jurisdictions, including parishes, cities, school districts, and special districts, such as the Tangipahoa Parish Mosquito Abatement District (MAD). The ballot…
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Arizona voters have decided 476 ballot measures since 1911
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Arizona ballot measures since 1911, the year before statehood, and when voters adopted the initiative and referendum process. Between 1911 and 2024, Arizonans voted on 476 ballot measures. Two hundred and fifty-one (251) measures were approved, and 225 measures were defeated. In Arizona, measures can be placed on the…
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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…