Ballot Measures
Today, Americans will vote on a number of ballot measures, including Michigan’s Proposal 3, which would enshrine abortion access in the state’s constitution.
NIC ANTAYA / THE WASHINGTON POST / GETTY IMAGES
It’s not just politicians on the ballot today. Americans are also voting directly on several policy questions through ballot measures. As I wrote we’re watching several of these elections, but here are the big ones:
- Five states are voting on measures related to abortion. The highest-profile is Michigan’s Proposal 3, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. If the proposal passes, it would end the current debate over whether abortion is legal in the state. (If it doesn’t, the state Supreme Court will decide.) Meanwhile, Kentucky’s Amendment 2 would clarify that the state constitution does not protect abortion rights, which would end legal efforts to overturn the state’s abortion ban.
- We’re watching five measures that could significantly change election laws in their states. Nevada’s Question 3 would replace the state’s traditional partisan primaries with an all-party primary where the top five finishers advance to a ranked-choice general election — similar to the system Alaska is using for the first time this year. Connecticut’s Question 1 and Michigan’s Proposal 2 would implement early voting, and Proposal 2 would make it easier to vote in other ways as well. On the other end of the spectrum, Nebraska’s Initiative 432 and Arizona’s Proposition 309 would create or tighten voter-ID requirements.
- Five states are also considering measures that would legalize marijuana for recreational use: Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota. In addition, Colorado’s Proposition 122 would decriminalize certain psychedelic substances.
- Two states will vote on whether to raise the minimum wage. Nevada’s Question 2 would bring it to $12 per hour, and Nebraska’s Initiative 433 would raise it to $15 per hour.
- If Amendment D passes in South Dakota, it would become the 39th state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
- California will vote on two competing measures to legalize sports betting: Proposition 26, which would legalize it at Native American casinos and some horse tracks, and Proposition 27, which would legalize it online (i.e., through apps like FanDuel and DraftKings).
- Finally, two states will consider ballot measures that would make it harder to pass other ballot measures. Arizona’s Proposition 132 and Arkansas’s Issue 2 would increase the threshold to pass certain future ballot measures from a majority to 60 percent.