Election season is upon us again, and this time voters are addressing various issues ranging from life and death to crime and taxes. Over 140 proposals are to be examined and voted upon in 41 states during the general elections. These ballot questions offer citizens the opportunity to have a direct say in significant matters rather than leaving them entirely to their representative officials.
Three states stand out with the most number of ballot measures this year: Arizona, Colorado, and California. However, it is worth noting that more of these measures could be added in other states, or some could even be removed if ongoing legal actions end favorably.
On top of the list for such ballot measures are those relating to pregnancy, sparked by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 action to terminate a countrywide abortion right, hence devolving this issue to state jurisdictions. Nine states are set to ponder constitutional amendments on abortion rights. These include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, and South Dakota.
These proposed changes mostly aim to secure the right to abortion until the point of fetal viability, and beyond that for the health of the pregnant woman. A uniquely competing proposition comes from Nebraska, which seeks to constitutionalize its current 12-week abortion prohibition, save for allowances in rape and incest circumstances, or situations endangering the pregnant woman’s life.
In New York, a motion to be voted on doesn’t directly address abortion but seeks to ban discrimination based on ‘pregnancy outcomes’ as well as ‘reproductive healthcare and autonomy’. A solitary motion in West Virginia is aimed at banning medically assisted suicide, a practice allowed in 10 states and Washington, D.C.
A wave of amendments proposed by Republican-led assemblies in eight states seeks to articulate that only citizens can vote. There is already a 1996 U.S. law that bars noncitizens from participating in federal elections, with many states having similar regulations. Nonetheless, constitutional bans are being proposed in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin in the effort to emphasize immigration and election integrity.
While there isn’t widespread evidence of noncitizens voting, specific locations in California, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. permit it for certain local government elections. A proposal in California is set to intensify penalties for habitual shoplifters and fentanyl dealers, and to establish a new drug court treatment program for individuals with repeated drug possession convictions.
Other criminal justice-related measures include an Arizona proposition requiring life imprisonment for certain child sex trafficking convictions, and measures in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and South Dakota aiming to create open primary elections and deny bail in first-degree murder cases in Colorado.
A Florida proposition seeks to introduce partisan elections to school boards, reversing a 1998 change that had made these elections nonpartisan. Measures in Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon are proposing ranked-choice voting, enabling voters to rank candidates according to their preference. The votes of the lowest finishing candidates are then reassigned until one candidate secures the majority vote.
In the issue of firearms, a Colorado measure seeks to follow in the footsteps of California by levying a sales tax on guns and ammunition, with the majority of the revenue directed towards crime victims’ services. Shifting focus to immigration, an Arizona measure seeks to criminalize illegal entries from foreign countries unless through official ports and also penalizes those already illegally in the U.S. if they apply for public benefits under fraudulent circumstances.
In terms of drug policy, voters in Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota are set to deliberate on the legalization of recreational marijuana for adult use – a privilege already enjoyed by half of the states. Massachusetts is considering an initiative to legalize possession and supervised use of natural psychedelics, such as psilocybin mushrooms.
With same-sex marriage having been legalized nationwide in 2015 by the U.S. Supreme Court, some state constitutions still contain provisions against it. These remnants are expected to be repealed by measures in California, Colorado, and Hawaii. Further, California seeks to enshrine the right to marry as a fundamental right.
Among economic issues, a proposal in California pushes for an incremental increase in the minimum wage for all employers to $18 per hour. Propositions in Alaska and Missouri aim to gradually increase minimum wages to $15 an hour, concurrently requiring paid sick leave. Meanwhile, Nebraska is considering providing paid sick leave without altering wages.
A unique Massachusetts initiative would slowly elevate the minimum wage for tipped employees to match the amount for other workers. Conversely, a measure in Arizona proposes allowing tipped employees to earn 25% less than the minimum wage, provided their total income, including tips, exceeds the minimum wage threshold.
Also on the agenda are proposals in California and Nevada to abolish constitutional provisions that permit ‘involuntary servitude’ as a penalty for a crime. Initiating this trend was Colorado, which amended its constitution in 2018 to ban slavery and involuntary servitude, a path since followed by Utah, Nebraska, Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont.
Lastly, North Dakotan citizens will vote on an unprecedented proposal to abolish real estate taxes. This move, if approved, could require local governments to seek replacement revenue exceeding $3 billion every two years from the state, which already collects vast taxes from the fossil fuel sector. This comes amidst mounting concerns over rising property values, leading to measures to limit or cut evaluated property values or taxes in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, and New Mexico.