California voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would repeal Proposition 8, and add language in the California Constitution stating that “the right to marry is a fundamental right,” on Nov. 5, 2024. Proposition 8 was a constitutional amendment approved by California voters by 52-47% in 2008 that defined marriage as between a man…
On July 13, the Texas State Legislature finalized a constitutional amendment and adopted implementing legislation designed to lower property taxes before adjourning its second special legislative session of the year. The amendment, which voters will decide on in Nov., would: increase the homestead tax exemption from $40,000 to $100,000; authorize the state legislature to limit…
On Aug. 8, voters in Ohio will decide Issue 1, the 270th proposed amendment to the state’s constitution since the 1912 constitutional convention. Voters approved 161 (59.85%) and rejected 108 (40.15%) of the proposed constitutional amendments from 1912 to 2022. Want to learn more about Ohio Issue 1? Check out Ballotpedia’s page on the constitutional…
Ohio Issue 1 would make several changes to the state’s citizen-initiated constitutional amendment process. These changes include requiring a 60% vote for amendments, increasing the signature distribution requirement, and eliminating the signature cure period. Yesterday, we reviewed one of these changes—the 60% vote threshold—within the context of other states and historical ballot measures. Today’s article…
The signature submission deadline for Initiatives to the People (ITP)—which is the name of direct ballot initiatives in Washington—passed on July 7, 2023. No campaigns submitted signatures. To qualify for the ballot, proponents would have needed to submit 324,516 valid signatures. A total of 70 ITPs were filed by five sponsors. The filed initiatives concerned…
Ohio could be the fourth state, following California, Michigan, and Vermont in 2022, to establish an explicit state constitutional right to abortion. On July 5, the campaign Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom submitted more than 710,131 signatures for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to provide that “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s…
On Nov. 5, 2024, Oregon voters will decide on establishing a commission that would determine the salaries of certain public officials. The ballot measure, which passed the Oregon State Legislature on June 25, would amend the Oregon Constitution to establish the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission. The commission would decide the salaries of the governor,…
There’s one state where the legislature cannot impeach the governor — Oregon. That could change on Nov. 5, 2024, when voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to empower the Oregon State Legislature to impeach and remove elected state executives, including the governor. The constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds vote in the House to…
Since 2013, at least 38 state constitutional amendments related to parental rights have been introduced in state legislatures. From 2013 to 2021, there were between one and three amendments introduced each year. In 2022, there were four constitutional amendments introduced. In 2023, that number more than tripled, with 13 state constitutional amendments proposed in nine…
In Arizona, the state Legislature approved a constitutional amendment related to signature requirements for citizen-initiated measures on June 12, 2023. Voters will decide on the amendment at the election on Nov. 5, 2024. The measure would require a percentage of signatures from each legislative district to qualify a citizen initiative for the ballot. Currently, the…