Tag: ballot measures
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Maine rejects Question 1 by the widest margin for a voter ID proposal since at least 2004
Voters rejected Maine Question 1 on Nov. 4. As of Nov. 7, 2025, the vote margins were 35.9% 'Yes' to 64.1% 'No.' Question 1 would have made several changes, including requiring photo identification for in-person and absentee voting; requiring voters to complete an identification envelope for absentee voting; allowing a person’s absentee ballot to be…
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Contributions to 2025 ballot measures total $178 million, and California’s Proposition 50 accounts for 93% of it
Contributions from individuals and groups totaled $178.44 million in support or opposition to this year’s 30 state ballot measures as of Oct. 30. For 2025, ballot measures were certified in nine states: California, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Earlier in 2025, voters in three states—Louisiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin—decided on six…
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2025 statewide ballot measures written at the highest reading level, equivalent to a doctorate degree, since Ballotpedia started tracking in 2017
The ballot language for the 30 statewide ballot measures in nine states in 2025 is written at an average reading level of 21, equivalent to a doctorate degree, and the highest level since 2017, when Ballotpedia started tracking the data. This is an increase from 2024, which had an average of 16 years of education…
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Voters in six states will decide on 24 statewide ballot measures on Nov. 4, 2025
On Nov. 4, voters in six states—California, Colorado, Maine, New York, Texas, and Washington—will be deciding on 24 statewide ballot measures. Overall, 30 statewide ballot measures are certified for the ballot in nine states in 2025. Earlier in 2025, voters in three states—Louisiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin—decided on six ballot measures. Two were approved, and four…
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Update on state ballot measures certifications—one new ballot measure certified in California for 2026
While the number of state ballot measures for 2025 is finalized, at 30, the total for 2026 will continue to increase until Sept. 2026. As of Oct. 14, 56 ballot measures have been certified for ballots in 2026. The most recent certification was in California on Oct. 2, when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation…
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California Proposition 50 ranks as the seventh most expensive ballot measure in state history with $139.9 million raised
California Proposition 50 ranks as the seventh most expensive ballot measure, based on total contributions to campaigns supporting and opposing the constitutional amendment. As of Oct. 13, about $139.9 million had been raised for and against Proposition 50. Supporters received $97.7 million, while opponents received $42.2 million. To become the sixth most expensive, surpassing Proposition…
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Voters to decide on 30 statewide ballot measures in 2025—three fewer than the decade average
Voters in nine states will decide on 30 statewide ballot measures in 2025, which is below the average (33) for odd-numbered years over the past decade. Six measures were decided earlier in the year in three states—Louisiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Voters in six states—California, Colorado, Maine, New York, Texas, and Washington—will decide on the remaining…
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South Dakota voters have decided on 366 ballot measures since statehood in 1889
Since achieving statehood in 1889, South Dakotans have voted on 366 statewide ballot measures. Voters approved 160 (43.7%) and rejected 206 (56.3%). In South Dakota, most measures are placed on the ballot by the South Dakota State Legislature or through a successful citizen initiative. The Legislature voted to refer 233 measures to the state ballot,…
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On this date in 1974, Alaska voters approved an initiative to change the state's capital city, which did not occur
Fifty-one years ago, on August 27, 1974, Alaskan voters approved Initiative 1, a ballot measure that began the process to move the state capital from Juneau to a city in Western Alaska. It was the third measure on the ballot in fourteen years that would have required a change in the capital city. Alaskans have…
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State lawmakers enacted 72 bills on ballot measures and direct democracy in 2025, the highest total since at least 2017
States have enacted 72 bills and resolutions concerning the three powers of direct democracy in the U.S.—the ballot initiative, referendum, and recall election—in 2025 through Aug. 8. The average number of bills and resolutions enacted per year from 2018 to 2024 was 35. While most bills are adopted during the first half of the year…