State ballots let voters decide on abortion, taxes, transgender restrictions
Whether or not they live in a competitive congressional district, voters in many states will be deciding on statewide ballot measures with a chance to make law themselves.
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voters → let → law
There are 145 statewide ballot measures on the November ballot, according to Ballotpedia, which tracks elections.
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which → be → elections
In some cases the questions were put on the ballot with petition drives by citizens frustrated with the actions - or lack of action - by their state lawmakers.
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questions → put → lawmakers
In many cases, legislatures go to the voters with amendments to their state constitution.
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legislatures → go → constitution
There are common themes across the country: many of the most high profile referenda are on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, taxes, and voting.
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many → be → abortion
Four years after Dobbs, states are still going back and forth on abortion
Four states have abortion on the ballot.
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states → go → ballot
That comes after a flurry of ballot measures on the issue since federal protections for the procedure from Roe v. Wade were overturned by the Dobbs decision in 2022.
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protections → come → 2022
Just two years ago, Missouri voters nullified what had been one of the strictest abortion bans in the country.
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what → nullify → country
But the Republican-led legislature has put the question back on the ballot.
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legislature → lead → ballot
And lawmakers crafted a single question that includes both a near-total ban on abortion and prohibitions on gender-affirming medical treatments for minors.
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that → craft → minors
Much of the advertising for the measure just mentions the gender-affirming care ban, which would go into the state constitution to strengthen bans already in state law.
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which → mention → law
Abortion is legal in Nevada and Virginia but voters in both states will have a chance to put those rights in the state constitution.
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voters → have → constitution
That would make it harder for future legislatures to ban abortion.
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legislatures → make → abortion
A vote in Idaho could overturn that state's near-total ban on abortion.
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vote → overturn → abortion
States consider transgender restrictions or guaranteeing LGBTQ+ rights
Rights for LGBTQ+ people have been hotly contested in the states in recent years.
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Rights → consider → years
Several states have them on the ballot.
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states → have → ballot
In Vermont a proposal would amend the state constitution to include an equal protection clause that would guarantee rights for gender identity and gender expression.
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that → amend → identity
Virginia voters could strengthen laws allowing same-sex marriage.
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voters → strengthen → marriage
The state currently has an old ban on same-sex marriage in its constitution - although it is not in force due to a 2015 US Supreme Court decision.
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it → have → decision
Voters are deciding whether to replace that language through an amendment that would define marriage as between any two adults regardless of race, sex, or gender.
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that → decide → race
Arizona and Colorado have proposals to ban transgender students in girls school and college sports, with Arizona expanding a current ban by including restrictions on locker rooms and other areas.
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Arizona → have → rooms
A proposal in Washington state would require that a student wanting to play girls sports have their biological sex confirmed by their healthcare provider based on, "the student's reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels."
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sex → require → anatomy
A billionaire tax highlights fiscal measures
Taxes and state finances make up the largest category of ballot measures.
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Taxes → highlight → measures
The highest-profile proposition is in California, where voters could impose a novel kind of billionaire tax.
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voters → impose → tax
Prop. 40 asks voters to approve a one-time, 5% tax on the wealth of billionaires, including their ownership in companies.
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. → ask → companies
Proponents say the Republican Congress gave tax breaks to billionaires by cutting health care programs so it's fair to tax them to make up the cuts.
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it → say → cuts
Opponents, including some prominent Democrats, say it will just chase billionaires to other states.
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it → include → states
Two competing measures on the same ballot would block the tax.
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measures → compete → tax
A coalition of progressive Coloradans is backing a proposal that could result in higher income taxes for those making over $500,000 a year.
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that → back → 500,000
States are also putting limits on taxation before voters: Tennessee's legislature sent voters a proposal to ban state-mandated property taxes.
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legislature → put → taxes
Iowa's General Assembly is asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment requiring certain tax law changes to go to require two-thirds of both of the legislature's chambers to pass.
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thirds → ask → chambers
Florida lawmakers put a question on the ballot that would exempt the first $150,000 of a home's value from property taxes, having huge implications for the local governments that depend on that funding.
Many states are voting about voting
In some states, voters are facing questions that could make it harder for them to change the law through their votes in the future.
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them → put → future
Proposals in North Dakota and South Dakota would require future amendments to the state constitution to have 60% voter approval instead of a simple majority.
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amendments → require → majority
Utah has a similar question for tax proposals.
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Utah → have → proposals
In Missouri, voters could go the other way – making it harder for lawmakers to overturn future voter initiatives.
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lawmakers → go → initiatives
And they face another question about whether to allow congressional redistricting that could help Republicans flip a House seat held by a Democrat in 2028.
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Republicans → face → 2028
In Maryland, voters can approve a congressional redistricting that would likely favor Democrats.
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that → approve → Democrats
Coloradans are considering a proposal to require ballot questions to be written in plain, 8th grade level English.
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questions → consider → English
Montanans could approve a state-level work around of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that has led to an explosion of hard-to-track money in campaigns.
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that → approve → campaigns
The measure would do that by redefining corporations so they can't give unlimited political donations.
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they → do → donations
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
