1894 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 1894.
In the United States, a ballot measure is a law, issue, or question that appears on a statewide or local ballot for voters of that jurisdiction to decide.
- HBM Factbooks
- List of ballot measures by state
- Other years
Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks
The inventory of statewide ballot measures is part of Ballotpedia's Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks, which document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and voters on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they've covered, and the role they have played in our civic life. Click here to access the state historical ballot measure factbooks.
List of ballot measures by state
Arkansas
See also: Arkansas 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governor to Fill Vacancies in Local Offices Amendment | County and municipal governance; State executive official measures |
|
Colorado
See also: Colorado 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Debt Limits Amendment | Bond issue requirements | Place constitutional limits on the amount of debt cities could incur and regulating how municipalities could borrow money |  | 21,293 (30%) | 50,513 (70%) | |
| Prohibit State Debt to Private Entities Amendment | Bond issue requirements | Prohibit the state and local governments from pledging their credit to private entities, while allowing cities to incur certain debts for ordinance-authorized purposes, taxes, and water-related obligations | | 26,434 (34%) | 51,711 (66%) | |
| Public Debt Limits Amendment | Bond issue requirements | Limit the amount of debt the State of Colorado could incur and restricting the purposes for which the state could borrow money | | 22,393 (29%) | 53,634 (71%) |
Florida
See also: Florida 1894 ballot measures
October 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Trial Costs Amendment | Criminal trials | Amend provisions relating to the payment of criminal trial costs |
| 9,755 (54%) | 8,392 (46%) | |
| State School Fund Amendment | Education | Amend provisions relating to the division of the State School Fund |
| 10,126 (53%) | 9,154 (47%) | |
| Voter Eligibility Amendment | Suffrage | Amend provisions regarding voter eligibility |
| 11,691 (67%) | 5,664 (33%) |
Idaho
See also: Idaho 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HJR 3 and HJR 4 | State judiciary structure; County and municipal governance |
| 6,236 (76%) | 1,979 (24%) |
Illinois
See also: Illinois 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Law Amendment | State legislative authority; Labor and unions | It proposed an additional amendment to the constitution that would give the legislature power to regulate relations between corporations and their employees.Note: Although this measure gathered more "yes" votes, it did not pass because at the time of the vote Illinois required that amendments receive a vote of more than 50 percent of those voting in the election. There were 574,080 voters in this election, requiring at least 287,041 “yes” votes for passage. | | 155,393 (72%) | 59,558 (28%) |
Kansas
See also: Kansas 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Suffrage Amendment | Women's suffrage; Sex and gender issues | Provides for women's suffrage in state constitution | | 95,302 (42%) | 130,139 (58%) |
Michigan
See also: Michigan 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allow Veterans in Soldiers' Homes to Establish Residency for Voting Amendment | Veterans policy; Residency voting requirements | Allow those living in soldiers' homes to vote in the location where the home is located |
| 127,758 (81%) | 29,607 (19%) | |
| Remove Suffrage for Noncitizens with Citizenship Intent Amendment | Citizenship voting requirements | End the practice of allowing foreign-born male residents who had lived in Michigan for at least two-and-a-half years and declared their intent to become citizens to vote |
| 117,088 (79%) | 31,537 (21%) |
Minnesota
See also: Minnesota 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Taxes |
| 108,332 (72%) | 41,242 (28%) |
Nevada
See also: Nevada 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 21 | Residency voting requirements; Voting rights for persons with criminal convictions | Provide for residency requirements for voting and excluding certain classes of persons from voting, including those convicted of treason or a felony | | 664 (15%) | 3,782 (85%) | |
| Question 22 | State legislative authority; State legislative structure | Affirm the state legislature's constitutional authority over its own membership, quorum, and internal discipline | | 560 (13%) | 3,660 (87%) | |
| Question 24 | Salaries of government officials | Provide for legislative pay to be set by statute while barring immediate pay increases for sitting legislators | | 569 (14%) | 3,618 (86%) | |
| Question 25 | State executive powers and duties | Clarify the governor’s constitutional veto authority and the state legislature’s process for reconsidering vetoed bills | | 569 (13%) | 3,668 (87%) | |
| Question 26 | Election administration and governance | Set constitutional rules for how statewide election results were transmitted and officially canvassed | | 536 (13%) | 3,656 (87%) | |
| Question 27 | State executive powers and duties | Restructure the Board of Pardons and defining its constitutional authority over pardons and sentence relief | | 503 (12%) | 3,672 (88%) | |
| Question 28 | Tax and revenue administration | Prohibit most public subsidies or donations to private entities, with limited exceptions for education and charity | | 507 (12%) | 3,672 (88%) | |
| Question 29 | State executive branch structure | Eliminate the constitutional office of Lieutenant Governor | | 557 (13%) | 3,639 (87%) | |
| Question 30 | State executive branch structure | Specify a new order of succession to the governor's office | | 548 (13%) | 3,627 (87%) | |
| Question 31 | Executive official term limits | Establish four-year terms for state executive officers | | 555 (13%) | 3,695 (87%) | |
| Question 32 | State executive powers and duties | Reallocate constitutional duties between the attorney general and secretary of state | | 536 (13%) | 3,629 (87%) | |
| Question 33 | Law enforcement officers and departments | Establish the Board of State Prison Commissioners and its membership | | 521 (13%) | 3,646 (87%) | |
| Question 34 | State executive powers and duties | Clarify that executive officers’ duties could be set by both constitutional and statutory law | | 516 (12%) | 3,624 (88%) | |
| Question 35 | Impeachment rules | Clarify the Constitution’s impeachment process and penalties for state officers | | 513 (12%) | 3,631 (88%) | |
| Question 36 | State judiciary oversight | Provide for the removal of judges by a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers | | 508 (12%) | 3,639 (88%) | |
| Question 37 | Debt limits | Impose a constitutional cap on local government debt, and requiring two-thirds voter approval to exceed that debt | | 476 (11%) | 3,738 (89%) | |
| Question 39 | Public education funding | Restrict state education funds to be exclusively used for public schools | | 452 (11%) | 3,787 (89%) | |
| Question 4 | Property taxes | Revise the Constitution’s taxation provisions, including uniform assessment and franchise taxation | | 1,492 (32%) | 3,114 (68%) | |
| Question 41 | Administrative organization | Change requirements for which executive officers must keep their offices at the Capitol | | 504 (12%) | 3,601 (88%) | |
| Question 44 | State judiciary structure | Amend the structure of the Nevada Supreme Court | | 564 (14%) | 3,602 (86%) | |
| Question 45 | State judiciary structure | Amend the constitution regarding the election of supreme court justices, length of terms, and the designation of chief justice | | 517 (13%) | 3,595 (87%) | |
| Question 46 | State judiciary oversight | Prohibit judges from holding other offices or receiving extra compensation while in office | | 528 (13%) | 3,584 (87%) | |
| Question 47 | Salaries of government officials; State judiciary oversight | Set judicial salaries by law and prohibiting pay increases or decreases during a judge’s term | | 532 (13%) | 3,583 (87%) | |
| Question 51 | Literacy, poll tax, and property voting requirements; English language policy | Require voters to be able to read the U.S. Constitution in English and write their name in order to register and vote | | 1,050 (24%) | 3,413 (76%) | |
| Question 7 | Literacy, poll tax, and property voting requirements | Authorize an annual poll tax | | 715 (17%) | 3,436 (83%) |
New York
See also: New York 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State judicial authority; State judiciary structure | Establish number and terms of judges in Kings County and guidelines for vacancies, salaries and powers of the judges and court |
| 391,350 (54%) | 332,505 (46%) | |
| Amendment 2 | State judiciary structure | Provide for the election of additional Supreme Court justices |
| 395,233 (54%) | 341,713 (46%) | |
| Canal Improvements Amendment | Ports and harbors | Authorize canal improvements |
| 442,998 (57%) | 327,645 (43%) | |
| Legislative Apportionment Amendment | State legislative authority | Provide for a new legislative apportionment |
| 395,233 (53%) | 350,625 (47%) | |
| Revised Constitution Amendment | Constitutional wording changes | Revise the Constitution except for the provisions relating to canal improvement and legislative apportionment |
| 410,697 (56%) | 327,402 (44%) |
South Dakota
See also: South Dakota 1894 ballot measures
November 5
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homesteads Exempt from Court Orders Amendment | Civil trials; Banking policy | Require the legislature to define by law the value and size of homesteads exempt from court-ordered seizure or sale, with exceptions, and to provide an exemption for a reasonable amount of personal property | | 10,733 (27%) | 29,315 (73%) | |
| Superintendent of Schools Successive Term Limit Amendment | Public education governance; Local official term limits | Allow the Superintendent of Schools to hold office for more than four years in succession | | 11,241 (29%) | 27,705 (71%) | |
| Women's Suffrage in School Affairs Amendment | Sex and gender issues; Women's suffrage | Provides for women's suffrage in elections related to school affairs | | 17,010 (43%) | 22,682 (57%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Veterans policy | Authorize the establishment and maintenance of a home for "indigent and disabled Confederate veterans" |
| 192,033 (71%) | 79,718 (29%) | |
| Proposition 2 | Elections and campaigns | Authorize the election of railroad commissioners with six-year term limits |
| 221,918 (83%) | 46,358 (17%) |
Washington
See also: Washington 1894 ballot measures
November 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investment of Permanent School Fund in School District Bonds Amendment | Public education funding | Allow the permanent school fund to be invested in school district bonds |
| 18,884 (77%) | 5,598 (23%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
Footnotes
