Writing:Ballot measure research sources
One of the trickiest parts of writing good ballot measure articles is finding good, creditable sources. This page is a dedicated list of starting sources.
Internal links
A list of individual state blue books. Blue books often have election results and biographies of state officials.
A list of voter guides. Some voter guides have detailed information on ballot measures, others have information on candidates for office
A list of official election result sources.
files
- Ballotpedia:WikiProject State Ballot Measures/ICPSR - An extensive set of documentation provided to ballotpedia by the ICPSR for ballot measure mainly between 1968 and 1990.
- File:Special Report 1990 Ballot Measures Post-Election Survey - Free Congress Foundation - LQ.pdf (1990 Ballot Measure Report - All States)
- File:Special Report 1992 State Ballot Listing - Free Congress Foundation - LQ.pdf (1992 Ballot Measure Report - All States)
External links
Google has newspaper archives going back well over one hundred years, much of which is free to browse. Old newspaper articles can be a good source of election information, particularly the state's "official" newspaper.
- Secretary of State, Legislative Reference Bureau, etc.
The Secretary of State, and other publications/research divisions within state governments can often lead to useful historical state documentation.
While relying on the NCSL as a single source of information should be avoided and information should not be copied verbatim, the site can be a good starting reference. Also note that Historical information is missing from the site in many instances.
I&R has historical information on citizen initiatives and referendums for each state, not legislative.
Database of historical citizen initiatives, with information of court challenges
Database of committee contribution totals by topic, year and state
List of newspaper archives by state
A database of historical newspapers by the Library of Congress (Pre-1922)
Alabama
Alaska
- List of Alaska election results 1960 to present
- List of ballot measures with election results 1960 to present
Arizona
- Ballot measure pamphlets with elections results 1912 to present
- List of election results 1974 to present
Arkansas
- List of ballot measures and results 1938 to 2010
- University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Public Policy Center 2005 - present
California
Colorado
- List of ballot measures and results 1908 to present
- Sample ballots from El Paso County, CO from 1964 to Present
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
- Florida election results 1978 to present
- List of all Florida constitutions and amendments
- Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Florida (Biennial) (Late 1800s to 1961/62)
- Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Florida (Biennial) (A few additional ones)
- State Library and Archives of Florida (At Archive.org)
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
- List of Initiatives and Amendments 1892 to present
- List of Initiatives and referendums 1936 to present
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
- Sample ballots from Douglas County (1984 - present)
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
- List of all Maine initiatives from 1911-present, provided by the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library.
- List of all People's Vetoes from 1909-present.
- List of all Maine referenda from 1915-present, provided by the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library.
- Constitutional amendments from 1911-present.
- Votes on Maine bond issues
- All proposed constitutional amendments, 1820-present
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
- Montana Constitutional Ballot Measures from 1974-2010 (PDF)
- Montana Statutory Ballot Issues from 1906-2010
- Montana ballot issues 1906 to 2010 index page
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
- A History of Statewide Issue Votes in Ohio 1912 to 2010
- Ohio Secretary of State: Historical Election Comparisons
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
- Amendments to the Texas Constitution (including approved and defeated) 1876 - 2010
- Texas Constitutional amendment by election dates (Chronological order) 1879 to present
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
- List of Initiatives to the People 1914 - 2009
- List of Initiatives to the Legislature 1914 - 2009
- List of Referendum Bills 1919 - 2006
- History of Referendum Measures 1913 - 2009
- Election result search 1896 - Present
- Information on access of historical newspapers from the late 1800s and early 1900s
