Life, death, crime and taxes will be on the ballots of thethe United States elections scheduled for November.
More than 140 measures will be put before voters in 41 states during the general election along with options for president and other high offices.
Ballot questions will give voters the opportunity to decide directly on some important issues, rather than leaving it up to their elected representatives.
And some ballot questions could draw more people to the polls, potentially affecting presidential outcomes in politically swing states, control of Congress and contested statewide offices.
Arizona, Colorado and California have the largest number of ballot measures. More could still make it to the ballot in other states. And some could be removed from the ballot if pending litigation is successful.
Here are some of the top issues on the ballot this year:
Abortion
Pregnancy-related initiatives have increased in response to the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that put end to the national right to abortion and referred the matter to the states.
At least nine states will consider constitutional amendments enshrining abortion rights — Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota. Most would guarantee abortion rights up to fetal viability and allow abortions later if the pregnant woman’s health is at risk.
Nebraska is the only state that also includes a rival measure: incorporating into the constitution the current ban on abortion at 12 weeks gestation, with exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the pregnant woman. If both are approved, the one with the most votes will go into effect.
A proposed amendment in New York does not specifically mention abortion, but would ban discrimination based on “pregnancy outcome” and “health care and reproductive autonomy.”
Assisted suicide
A proposed amendment in West Virginia to ban physician-assisted suicide is the only such measure this year. Physician-assisted suicides are permitted in 10 states and Washington, D.C.
Citizen vote
Republican-led legislatures in eight states have proposed amendments declaring that only citizens can vote.
A 1996 U.S. law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and many states already have similar laws. But specific constitutional bans have been proposed in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The measures are part of a Republican emphasis on immigration and election integrity.
While there is no evidence of widespread voting by non-citizens, some municipalities in California, Maryland, Vermont and Washington, DC do allow it for certain local elections.
Crimes
A California proposal would toughen punishments for repeat shoplifters and fentanyl dealers and establish a court-supervised drug treatment program for those with multiple drug possession convictions.
The measure would reverse parts of a 2014 initiative that reduced penalties for nonviolent drug and property crimes to address prison overcrowding. The new measure comes after a surge in groups committing hit-and-run shoplifting.
An Arizona measure would require life in prison for certain child sex trafficking convictions. Two Colorado proposals would deny bail in first-degree murder cases, and lengthen mandatory prison terms before parole eligibility for people convicted of certain violent crimes.
Elections
The measures in Idaho, Montana, Nevada and South Dakota would create open primaries, in which candidates from all parties appear on the same ballot and a certain number advance to the general election.
Arizona voters will decide between competing proposals that would require open primaries or the state’s current method of partisan primaries. If both pass, the one with the most votes will take effect.
A Florida measure would expand partisan elections for school boards, reversing a 1998 amendment that made them officially nonpartisan and removed party labels from ballots.
Measures in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon propose ranked-choice voting, in which voters rank their preference for candidates and the votes of the lowest-ranking candidates are reallocated until one person wins a majority.
Ranked-choice voting is currently used in Alaska and Maine, but Alaska voters will consider whether to repeal provisions of a 2020 initiative that instituted open primaries and ranked-choice general elections. Missouri’s citizen vote measure would also ban ranked-choice voting.
A Connecticut amendment would authorize no-excuse absentee voting. A Nevada proposal would require a photo ID to vote in person, or the last four digits of a driver’s license or Social Security number to vote by mail. If approved, the measure would require a second affirmative vote in 2026 to take effect.
Taxes on weapons
A Colorado proposal would make the state the second — after California — to impose a tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition. Revenue would go primarily to services for crime victims. The federal government already taxes gun and ammunition sales.
Immigration
An Arizona measure would make it a state crime to enter from a foreign country except through official ports of entry, and for someone already in the U.S. illegally to apply for public benefits using false documents. The border-crossing measure is similar to a challenged Texas law that the Justice Department says violates federal authority and would create chaos at the border.
The Arizona measure would also make it a felony to sell fentanyl that causes a person’s death.
Dope
Voters in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. It will be the third vote on the issue in both North Dakota and South Dakota. About half of the states currently allow recreational marijuana and about a dozen more allow medical marijuana.
In Massachusetts, an initiative would legalize the possession and supervised use of natural psychedelics, including psilocybin (hallucinogenic) mushrooms.
Marriage
Although the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, some states still have unenforceable provisions against it. Measures in California, Colorado and Hawaii would repeal those provisions. California’s measure would go further, declaring: “The right to marry is a fundamental right.”
Salary and benefits
A California measure would gradually raise the state’s minimum wage for all employers to $18 an hour. Measures in Alaska and Missouri would gradually raise minimum wages to $15 an hour and also require paid sick leave. A Nebraska measure would provide paid sick leave but would not change wages.
In Massachusetts, one measure would gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped employees until it matches the rate for other employees. In contrast, an Arizona measure would allow tipped workers to be paid 25 percent less than the minimum wage, as long as tips raise their total wage above the minimum wage threshold.
Prison work
Proposals in California and Nevada would repeal constitutional provisions that allow “involuntary servitude” as punishment for a crime. Some supporters seek to reduce forced prison labor.
Colorado started the trend by revising its constitution in 2018 to ban slavery and involuntary servitude. Utah and Nebraska followed in 2020, and Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont in 2022.
Property taxes
North Dakota voters will consider an unprecedented measure to eliminate property taxes. If approved, local governments could need more than $3 billion every two years in replacement revenue from the state — which collects billions of dollars in taxes from the fossil fuel industry.
Rising property values have also prompted moves to cap or reduce assessed values or taxes in Colorado, Florida, Georgia and New Mexico.
Arizona has a unique proposal that links property taxes and homelessness responses. It would allow property owners to apply for property tax refunds if they incur expenses because a local government refused to enforce ordinances against illegal camping, loitering, panhandling, obstructing public ways, public urination or defecation, or public consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs.
Redistricting
An Ohio initiative would create a citizens’ commission to handle redistricting for state legislative and U.S. House seats, taking the task away from elected officials.
A proposed amendment in Utah would allow lawmakers to overturn or revise voter-approved initiatives — a response to a state Supreme Court ruling that lawmakers had exceeded their authority in reviewing a voter-approved redistricting initiative.
Sports betting
Missouri voters will decide whether to legalize sports betting through a measure backed by their professional sports teams. A total of 38 states and Washington, D.C. already allow sports betting, which has expanded rapidly since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for it in 2018.
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