1947 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 1947.
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
Alabama
See also: Alabama 1947 ballot measures
August 26
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Taxes | The amendment proposed to amend the constitution. The amendment proposed that the revenue received by the state from income tax be disbursed in the following way: $12,249,860 shall be set aside to pay interest and principal on Income Tax Bonds; approximately $6,700,000 would be added to the sinking fund to pay “Old Bonded Debt” and the “Carpet Bag Bonds”; the residual would pay the Building Commission for capital outlay only for educational purposes, provided that only 12 percent goes to institutions of higher education and not less than 88 percent to county and city boards of education. |
| 111,212 (79%) | 29,250 (21%) | |
| Amendment 2 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | The amendment proposed to amend the constitution. The amendment proposed that the legislature would be authorized to fix, regulate and alter the fees, commissions, allowances and salaries to be charged or received by tax assessors, tax collectors, probate judges, circuit clerks, sheriffs and registers of the chancery in Etowah County. |
| 57,985 (72%) | 22,811 (28%) | |
| Amendment 3 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Taxes | The amendment proposed to amend the constitution. The amendment proposed to authorize the Montgomery County to levy and collect a four mill tax on each dollar of taxable property for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, operating, equipping or maintaining County hospitals or other public hospitals, nonprofit hospitals and public health facilities. The said tax must be approved by a majority vote by the electors. |
| 55,558 (71%) | 23,108 (29%) | |
| Amendment 4 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | The amendment proposed to amend the constitution. The amendment proposed that the legislature would be authorized to fix, regulate and alter the fees, commissions, allowances and salaries to be charged or received by tax assessors, tax collectors, probate judges, circuit clerks, sheriffs and registers of the chancery in Limestone County. |
| 53,395 (70%) | 22,375 (30%) |
Kentucky
See also: Kentucky 1947 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constitutional Convention Referendum | State constitutional conventions |  | 144,692 (43%) | 191,876 (57%) |
New Jersey
See also: New Jersey 1947 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Question No. 1 | State constitutional conventions | A new state constitution was adopted as a result. |
| 653,096 (78%) | 184,632 (22%) |
New York
See also: New York 1947 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendmen 4 | State judicial selection | Establish a special Court on the Judiciary to oversee the removal or retirement of judges for cause or disability, allowing it after formal charges and a hearing to remove a judge, disqualify them from future office, or retire them for disability |
| 1,572,256 (68%) | 749,020 (32%) | |
| Amendment 1 | Veterans policy | Authorize the legislature to create a state debt for payments to veterans of the armed forces from New York |
| 2,221,800 (73%) | 805,826 (27%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Absentee and mail voting | Permit more extensive use of absentee ballots |
| 1,848,701 (76%) | 573,050 (24%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Salaries of government officials | Permit members of the legislature to receive a fixed salary by law and delete a provision of Constitution that had fixed the annual salary at legislators at $2,500 |
| 1,431,636 (61%) | 901,023 (39%) | |
| Amendment 5 | State judiciary structure | Create another judicial district out of a second judicial district |
| 1,181,559 (54%) | 1,009,223 (46%) | |
| Amendment 6 | Athletics and sports; Parks, land, and natural area conservation | Allow for the construction and maintenance of ski trails on Gore Mountain and Belleayre Mountain in the Catskill Mountains |
| |||
| Proposition 1 | Housing development funding; Bond issues | Issue a $135 million bond for slum clearance and public housing |
| 1,515,403 (71%) | 633,868 (29%) | |
| Proposition 2 | Housing development funding | Increased aggregate payments for subsidies for public housing projects from $9 million to $13 million |
| 1,439,187 (70%) | 627,198 (30%) | |
| Proposition 3 | Housing development funding | Increase maximum aggregate payments for periodic subsidies in housing projects from $1 million to $1.5 million for one year |
| 1,429,548 (69%) | 630,862 (31%) |
Ohio
See also: Ohio 1947 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjustment of Terms and Compensation of Probate Judges Amendment | Salaries of government officials; State judiciary | Establish six-year terms for judge of the probate court and change provisions relating to their compensation |
| 855,106 (55%) | 692,061 (45%) | |
| Bonds for Payments to World War II Veterans Amendment | Veterans policy; Bond issues | Issue bonds to fund payments to World War II veterans and their survivors. |
| 1,497,804 (76%) | 478,701 (24%) | |
| Increase to the Membership of the Sinking Fund Commission Amendment | Administration of government | Increase the membership of the state Sinking Fund Commission to include other executive officers |
| 782,158 (51%) | 762,129 (49%) | |
| Use of Motor Vehicle License and Gas Taxes Initiative | Taxes; Transportation | Prohibit the expenditure of money from motor vehicle license taxes and gasoline taxes on uses other than highways and related purposes. |
| 1,037,650 (61%) | 669,718 (39%) |
Oregon
See also: Oregon 1947 ballot measures
October 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure Nos. 300-301 | Taxes; Public assistance programs | Implement a three percent retail sales tax to fund public assistance, property tax relief, and state, counties, cities, and school districts. | | 67,514 (27%) | 180,333 (73%) | |
| Measure Nos. 302-303 | Taxes; Tobacco laws | Levy a one-tenth of one cent tax on each cigarette distributed or sold. | | 103,794 (42%) | 140,876 (58%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 1947 ballot measures
August 23
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Taxes | Levy an ad valorem tax to fund Confederate pensions, improvements at state higher education institutions, and reduce the maximum state property tax by five cents |
| 102,531 (51%) | 97,318 (49%) |
Wisconsin
See also: Wisconsin 1947 ballot measures
April 1
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Time standards | Authorize daylight saving time | | 313,091 (45%) | 379,740 (55%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
Footnotes
