While electing officials to make and enforce laws, voters in dozens of states were yesterday also deciding on more than 140 ballot proposals affecting the way people legally live, work and die.
As 10 states considered measures related to abortion or reproductive rights, about a half-dozen states were weighing the legalization of marijuana for either recreational or medical use. About two dozen measures were focused on future elections, including several specifically barring noncitizens voting. Other state measures affect wages, taxes, housing and education.
Many of the ballot measures were initiated by citizen petitions that sidestep state legislatures, though others were placed before voters by lawmakers.
Photo: AFP
Following are some of the measures on the ballot yesterday.
MARIJUANA
Voters in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota voted on whether to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The election marked the third vote on the issue in North Dakota and South Dakota. In Nebraska, voters were considering a pair of measures that would legalize medical marijuana and regulate the industry.
Photo: AP
About half the states currently allow recreational marijuana and about a dozen more allow medical marijuana.
In Massachusetts, a ballot measure would legalize the possession and supervised use of natural psychedelics, including psilocybin mushrooms. It would be the third state to do so, following Oregon and Colorado.
IMMIGRATION
An Arizona measure crafted amid a surge in immigration would make it a state crime to enter from a foreign country except through official ports of entry, and for someone already in the US illegally to apply for public benefits using false documents.
The border crossing measure is similar to a challenged Texas law that the US Department of Justice says violates federal authority.
SCHOOL CHOICE
A proposed amendment to the Kentucky Constitution would allow lawmakers to use state funds for private schools. A Colorado measure would create a constitutional right to school choice for K-12 students.
In Nebraska, voters were to decide whether to repeal a new state law that funds private school tuition with state dollars.
A majority of states offers some sort of state-backed program to help cover private school costs.
SPORTS BETTING
Missouri residents voted on whetehr to become the latest to legalize sports betting. A total of 38 states and Washington already allow sports betting, which has expanded rapidly since the US Supreme Court cleared the way for it in 2018.
SPORTS BETTING
Missouri residents voted on whetehr to become the latest to legalize sports betting. A total of 38 states and Washington already allow sports betting, which has expanded rapidly since the US Supreme Court cleared the way for it in 2018.
TAXES
A Colorado proposal would make it the second state after California to impose a sales tax on firearms and ammunition, with revenue going primarily to crime victims’ services. The federal government already taxes sales of guns and ammunition.
North Dakota voters were considering a measure to eliminate property taxes. If approved, local governments could need more than US$3 billion biennially in replacement revenue from the state.
A South Dakota measure would repeal the state’s sales tax on groceries, a move already taken in most other states.
An Oregon measure would raise the minimum tax on large corporations to fund a tax rebate for residents.
CLIMATE
Voters in Washington state were considering whether to repeal a 2021 law that caps carbon emissions and creates a market for businesses exceeding the mark to purchase allowances from others. Washington was the second state to launch such a program, after California.
CITIZEN VOTING
Republican-led legislatures in eight states — Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin — have proposed state constitutional amendments declaring that only citizens can vote.
A 1996 US law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and many states already have similar laws. However, Republicans have emphasized the potential of noncitizens voting after an influx of immigrants at the US-Mexican border. Though noncitizen voting historically has been rare, voter roll reviews before the election flagged potential noncitizens registered in several states.
Some municipalities in California, Maryland, Vermont and Washington allow noncitizens to vote in certain local elections.
VOTING METHODS
Connecticut voters were considering whether to authorize no-excuse absentee voting, joining most states that already allow it.
Measures in Montana and South Dakota would create open primary elections in which candidates of all parties appear on the same ballot, with a certain number advancing to the general election. Measures in Colorado, Idaho and Nevada also propose open primaries featuring candidates from all parties, with a certain number advancing to a general election using ranked choice voting. An Oregon measure would required ranked choice voting in both primaries and general elections.
REDISTRICTING
An Ohio initiative would create a citizens commission to handle redistricting for US House and state legislative seats, taking the task away from elected officials.
MINIMUM WAGE
Ballot measures in Missouri and Alaska would gradually raise minimum wages to US$15 an hour while also requiring paid sick leave. A California measure would incrementally raise the minimum wage for all employers to US$18 an hour. A Nebraska measure would require many employers to provide sick leave, but would not change wages.
A Massachusetts measure would gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped employees until it matches the rate for other employees. By contrast, an Arizona measure would let tipped workers be paid 25 percent less than the minimum wage, so long as tips push their total pay beyond the minimum wage threshold.
HOUSING
California residents voted on whether to repeal a 1995 law limiting local rent control ordinances. If approved, it would open the way for local governments to expand limitations on the rates that landlords could charge.
A unique proposal in Arizona links property taxes with responses to homelessness. It would let property owners seek property tax refunds if they incur expenses because a local government declined to enforce ordinances against illegal camping, loitering, panhandling, public alcohol and drug use, and other things.
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