Here’s a roundup of the results in some of the ballot measures we’ve been watching:
- Nebraska passed Initiative 432, which amends the state constitution to require a photo ID to vote. In Arizona, though, Proposition 309 is currently losing, 51 percent to 49 percent. That measure would require mail voters to provide a voter ID number and birthdate, and eliminate an exception for in-person voters without an ID.
- Michigan passed Proposal 2, which expands voting access in various ways, such as implementing nine days of early voting and requiring a ballot drop box for every 15,000 voters in a municipality. Connecticut also passed Question 1, which will bring early voting to the Nutmeg State.
- In Nevada, Question 3 is currently passing, 52 percent to 48 percent. If it holds on, elections in the Silver State would be changed drastically: The state would switch to an Alaska-style electoral system where all candidates, regardless of party, run in the same primary, and the five top finishers advance to a ranked-choice general election.
- Arkansas voted against raising the threshold to pass most future ballot measures to 60 percent, something Republican legislators wanted to make it harder for voters to circumvent them. However, a similar measure in Arizona — which would apply only to tax-related measures — is currently passing, 51 percent to 49 percent. Another Arizona measure, which would limit future ballot measures to a single subject, is also passing, 55 percent to 45 percent. But Arizonans rejected a measure that would allow the state Legislature to repeal ballot measures if any part of them was found unconstitutional.
- South Dakota passed Amendment D, which will make it the 39th state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
- Massachusetts passed Question 4, which will uphold a law to allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses. And in Arizona, Proposition 308, which would allow students to get in-state tuition at public universities regardless of their immigration status, is currently leading, 51 percent to 49 percent — but I’m not sure that lead will hold up.
- Nebraska passed Initiative 433, which will raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026. A measure in Nevada to raise its minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2024 for all employees is also leading, 54 percent to 46 percent. Since 1998, every ballot measure to raise the minimum wage nationwide has passed, and it looks like that streak won’t end this year.
- Iowa passed Amendment 1, which will enshrine the right to bear arms in the state constitution, by a decisive 65 percent to 35 percent margin. This will likely make it easier to get gun-control laws struck down in court. However, Oregon’s Measure 114 is also currently passing, and that measure would significantly tighten gun restrictions in the Beaver State.