Voters in Arizona will decide on a constitutional amendment to allow businesses to pay tipped employees 25% less per hour than the minimum wage. The amendment would allow for tipped workers to be paid 25% less per hour than the minimum wage if any tips received by the employee were not less than the minimum…
For 2024, 118 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 35 states, six more measures than the average (112) for this point in the election cycle from 2012 to 2022. The average number of statewide ballot measures certified for an even-numbered year during this period was 157. Here’s an update on the…
Voters in North Dakota approved Measure 1, a ballot initiative establishing an age limit for congressional candidates, at the election on June 11. The vote was 60.88%-39.12%, and turnout was 20.11%. Specifically, Measure 1 is designed to prohibit anyone from being elected or appointed to the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives if he or…
The Coalition to Protect Access to Care is sponsoring an initiative that would permanently authorize a tax on managed care organizations (MCO) based on monthly enrollees, which is set to expire in 2026, to fund Medi-Cal Health Care Services. The California Secretary of State announced on June 4 that it had qualified for the ballot…
Voters in 12 states could vote on abortion-related measures in Nov. 2024. Ballot measures are certified in four states—Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and South Dakota. Signatures are pending verification in two states—Missouri and Nevada. Measures have also been proposed in six other states. This report provides the most recent updates on abortion-related ballot measure certifications and…
Oklahoma voters will join Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, and Wisconsin voters in deciding on ballot questions to add language to their respective state constitutions to provide that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections. All six ballot questions were placed on the Nov. 2024 ballot by Republican-controlled state legislatures. Similar measures were on the…
For 2024, 110 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 35 states, five more measures than the average (105) for this point in the election cycle from 2012 to 2022. The average number of statewide ballot measures certified for an even-numbered year during this period was 157. Here’s an update on the…
Campaign finance rules for ballot measures differ from those for candidate elections. “Referenda are held on issues, not candidates for public office,” wrote the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978 (First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti). The court has held that spending on ballot measure campaigns is similar to issue advocacy in the lawmaking process.…
The Louisiana State Legislature referred two constitutional amendments to the ballot that voters will decide on Dec. 7. Rep. Tony Bacala (R-59) sponsored both amendments, House Bill 48 and House Bill 49, in the State House. House Bill 48, passed unanimously by the legislature, would add a 48-hour waiting period before a concurrence vote on…
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) released an opinion on May 1 determining that federal officeholders and candidates are allowed to solicit funds for ballot measure committees without regard to the amount limitations and source restrictions in the Federal Election Campaign Act. Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, sponsors of an initiative that would create a state constitutional…