Articles on Ballot measures

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Citizens in 24 states can add measures to the state ballot. adamkaz/Royalty Free via Getty Images

Why does Colorado have so many ballot measures?

Colorado voters considered 14 ballot measures in the November 2024 election, the most of any state.
Voters turned down a variety of reforms to how they cast ballots. Anastasiia_New/IStock/Getty Images Plus

Election reform was on the ballot – voters largely said ‘no’

Voters proved hesitant to overhaul the election systems they were already familiar with, as almost all of the reforms in nine ballot measures across seven states and Washington failed to pass.
Signs supporting the ‘Right to Abortion’ initiative are displayed during a rally on Sept. 5, 2024, in Bozeman, Montana. William Campbell/Getty Images

Abortion rights are on 10 state ballots in November − Democrats can’t count on this to win elections for them

Arizona, Florida, New York and Nevada are among the states with upcoming abortion ballot initiatives. Democrats are counting on these ballot measures to help swing elections away from GOP candidates.
In Colorado, many people run, bike and climb in mountain lion habitat. DEA/ C. Dani I. Jeske/De Agostini via Getty Images

Colorado voters weigh a ban on hunting mountain lions as attitudes toward wild predators shift

Colorado has spectacular scenery, but it comes with wild animals, and they sometimes wander into town. A ballot measure that would ban hunting wild cats is the latest test of public views on hunting.
Central Maine Power Co. lineman John Baril works to restore electricity in Lewiston, Maine, on March 15, 2023, after a winter storm. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Maine voters don’t like their electric utilities, but they balked at paying billions to buy them out

Power companies can be publicly or privately owned and may report to corporate boards, local governments or co-op members. But there’s no one best way to deliver electricity reliably and affordably.
People gather at the Marion County Republican Party headquarters after discussing Issue 1 on July 13, 2023, in Marion, Ohio. Maddie McGarvey/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

Ohio voters kept it easy to pass a constitutional amendment protecting abortion − but also for the majority to someday limit other rights

The recent push in Ohio to pass a constitutional amendment was seen as a move to curb abortion rights. It failed. Two scholars say the ballot measure was really about minority rights in a democracy.

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