1995 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 1995.
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 Factbook
- 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
Colorado
See also: Colorado 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referendum A | Corrections governance | Allow the state to contract for the confinement and maintenance of juvenile and adult state prisoners in non-state facilities. |  | 291,736 (45%) | 355,031 (55%) |
Louisiana
See also: Louisiana 1995 ballot measures
November 18
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State judiciary | This measure proposed that members of criminal juries in Louisiana should be instructed on the power of the governor to alter sentences and grant pardons in criminal cases. |
| 747,295 (60%) | 507,844 (40%) |
October 21
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Family-related policy | This measure proposed to abolish forced heirship except in the case where the surviving children are under age 24 or are disabled. In those cases, a portion of the estate must be left to the children. |
| 768,678 (68%) | 369,954 (32%) | |
| Amendment 10 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | This measure proposed that revenues in the Mineral Revenue Audit and Settlement Fund be used solely to reduce state debt. |
| 692,111 (67%) | 343,774 (33%) | |
| Amendment 11 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | It proposed to establish in the constitution that the fee imposed on oil and gas production should be used for the existing Oilfield Site Restoration Fund. This would protect the fund from any legislative changes. |
| 660,541 (64%) | 379,317 (36%) | |
| Amendment 12 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | This measure is designed to constitutionally protect the Oil Spill Contingency Fund so that it would not be subject to easy change by the legislature. |
| 672,387 (64%) | 373,284 (36%) | |
| Amendment 13 | Civil service; Veterans policy | This measure would permit the legislature, rather than the constitution, to indicate which conflicts qualify veterans for civil service preference. |
| 734,304 (70%) | 315,884 (30%) | |
| Amendment 14 | Property | It proposed to reduce, from three years to six months, the time allowed for an abandoned property sold by the City of New Orleans to be redeemed by the original owner. |
| 694,872 (66%) | 351,513 (34%) | |
| Amendment 15 | Property | This measure proposed that the City of New Orleans be permitted to donate abandoned properties to nonprofit groups that would rehabilitate the properties. |
| 708,487 (68%) | 337,572 (32%) | |
| Amendment 2 | State legislative term limits | It proposed to limit the terms of state legislators to three consecutive terms of service in one house of the legislature. |
| 842,659 (76%) | 271,153 (24%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Civil trials | It proposed to allow the legislature to limit the settlement amount in cases against state and local governments. |
| 626,362 (58%) | 445,689 (42%) | |
| Amendment 4 | State judiciary | It proposed that the retirement age for judges should be increased from 70 to 75 years of age. | | 413,392 (38%) | 683,332 (62%) | |
| Amendment 5 | Public education governance | This measure proposed that the City of Baker could form a school district separate from the school district in East Baton Rouge Parish and that certain wards in Rapides Parish could form a school district separate from the school district in Rapides Parish. |
| 659,512 (63%) | 379,331 (37%) | |
| Amendment 6 | Administration of government | It proposed that the approval of a new fee or fine would require a two-thirds vote in the legislature. |
| 663,835 (62%) | 398,413 (38%) | |
| Amendment 7 | Taxes | This measure proposed to limit, to once in a six month period, the number of times a local tax proposal could be submitted. This rule could be overridden in case of an emergency. |
| 733,955 (69%) | 328,754 (31%) | |
| Amendment 8 | Fisheries and fishing regulations; State legislative authority; Hunting regulations | It proposed that the state legislature could pass legislation creating laws relating to hunting and fishing that are applicable in only certain parts of the state. | | 453,851 (43%) | 604,796 (57%) | |
| Amendment 9 | Mineral resources | It proposed that the state could return mineral rights to the previous landowner after the state reclaimed coastal property that was being lost to erosion. |
| 637,354 (94%) | 40,772 (6%) |
Maine
See also: Maine 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Constitutional rights; LGBTQ issues | Limit protected classifications in future state and local laws to race, color, sex, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status and marriage status, and repealing existing laws that expanded those classifications | | 193,938 (47%) | 221,562 (53%) | |
| Question 2 | Public economic investment policy; Transportation; Bond issues | Issue $58.9 million in bonds for economic development for improvements to highways, state and local bridges, airports and cargo ports |
| 289,614 (70%) | 121,983 (30%) | |
| Question 3 | Public education funding; Bond issues; Utility policy | Issue $15 million in bonds to fund local telecommunications infrastructure and classroom technology equipment to enhance interactive telecommunications capabilities and student learning opportunities |
| 245,464 (60%) | 165,129 (40%) | |
| Question 4 | Bond issues; Housing; Healthcare facility funding | Issue $4 million in bonds for the acquisition, construction or rehabilitation of housing, including subsidized apartments, for people with mental illness |
| 230,359 (56%) | 177,836 (44%) | |
| Question 5 | Bond issues; Water | Issue $14 million in bonds, with $10 million being allocated to protect drinking water resources by granting funds to cities and towns for the proper capping of their solid waste landfills, $1 million for the small community program and $3 million for the removal of state-owned underground storage tanks |
| 250,574 (61%) | 156,996 (39%) | |
| Question 6 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Public employee retirement funds | Require funding to the Maine State Retirement System, require paying off the current unfunded liability in 31 years, and prohibit the creation of new unfunded liabilities |
| 274,786 (69%) | 123,208 (31%) | |
| Question 7 | State executive official measures | Create the gubernatorial power of line-item veto for dollar amounts appearing in appropriation or allocation sections of legislative documents |
| 286,929 (71%) | 115,216 (29%) | |
| Question 8 | Transportation; Law enforcement | Require the wearing of seat belts in motor vehicles when a person four years or older is a passenger in the vehicle |
| 208,164 (50%) | 204,928 (50%) |
Mississippi
See also: Mississippi 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initiative 4 | State legislative term limits; Executive official term limits; Judicial term limits; Local official term limits | |
Missouri
See also: Missouri 1995 ballot measures
April 5
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Local government organization | Repeal prohibitions on special laws for specific counties and classify charter or constitutional counties separately |
| 317,127 (58%) | 233,023 (42%) |
New Jersey
See also: New Jersey 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Redistricting policy |
| 612,525 (56%) | 489,802 (44%) | |
| Question 2 | Transportation; Taxes |
| 703,368 (61%) | 442,661 (39%) | |
| Question 3 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance |
| 731,131 (65%) | 395,626 (35%) | |
| Question 4 | Public land policy; Bond issues |
| 766,798 (68%) | 358,388 (32%) |
New York
See also: New York 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State judicial authority | Increase the New York City Civil Court's jurisdiction over lawsuits involving claims from $25,000 to $50,000 and the district court’s jurisdiction from $15,000 to $50,000. | | 835,143 (50%) | 846,112 (50%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Residency voting requirements; Literacy, poll tax, and property voting requirements; Voter registration; Voting age policy; Election administration and governance | Eliminate voter re-registration requirements and change qualifications and procedures for voter registration. |
| 974,206 (57%) | 731,999 (43%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Revenue allocation | Change the state’s borrowing practices by instituting planning hearings, allowing multiple bond questions, permitting capped revenue debt without referendum, and broadening emergency debt authority. | | 656,971 (39%) | 1,024,492 (61%) | |
| Amendment 4 | Public land policy; Land use and development policy; Parks, land, and natural area conservation | Provide for the exchange of twelve acres of forest preserve for 144 acres and an easement to facilitate a public cemetery. |
| 1,065,570 (64%) | 594,787 (36%) |
Ohio
See also: Ohio 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue 2 | Highways and bridges; Bond issues; Drinking water systems | Allow the state to issue up to $2.4 billion in general obligation bonds, including $1.2 billion for local public infrastructure and $1.2 billion for state highways |
| 1,408,834 (62%) | 865,698 (38%) | |
| Limit Gubernatorial Power to Reduce Criminal Sentences Amendment | State executive official measures; Law enforcement | Limit the governor's authority to reduce criminal sentences as prescribed by law |
| 1,816,213 (71%) | 742,590 (29%) |
Oregon
See also: Oregon 1995 ballot measures
May 16
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure 21 | Gambling policy; Education | Authorize state lottery profits to fund public education and establish the Education Endowment Fund. |
| 671,027 (87%) | 99,728 (13%) | |
| Measure 22 | State legislatures measures | Require legislative appointees to inhabit in their respective districts for at least one year before appointment and throughout their terms |
| 709,931 (94%) | 45,311 (6%) |
Pennsylvania
See also: Pennsylvania 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Proceedings and Criminal Defendant Rights Amendment | Criminal trials | Make changes to criminal defendant rights and criminal proceedings in state constitution |
| 1,176,652 (75%) | 400,727 (25%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Bond issues; Education | Issue $300 million in bonds to finance educational loans for students. |
| 474,502 (65%) | 259,088 (35%) | |
| Proposition 10 | State executive official measures; Administration of government | Abolish the office of state treasurer. |
| 495,181 (69%) | 218,473 (31%) | |
| Proposition 11 | Taxes | Allow open-space land for wildlife management to qualify for tax appraisals in the same manner as open-space agricultural land. |
| 434,643 (61%) | 274,736 (39%) | |
| Proposition 12 | Taxes | Exempt low-value personal property and mineral interests from ad valorem taxation. |
| 495,144 (70%) | 213,178 (30%) | |
| Proposition 13 | Fisheries and fishing regulations; Taxes | Allow political subdivisions to exempt commercial fishing equipment from ad valorem taxes. | | 267,258 (38%) | 432,378 (62%) | |
| Proposition 14 | Taxes; Veterans policy | Increase property tax exemption limits for disabled veterans and their surviving spouses or minor children. |
| 490,199 (69%) | 217,443 (31%) | |
| Proposition 2 | Taxes | Exempt property used for charitable or public service activities from ad valorem taxation by Congress-chartered organizations. | | 333,528 (48%) | 358,133 (52%) | |
| Proposition 3 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Agriculture policy | Allow the farm and ranch finance program's bond authority to support Texas agricultural product expansion, development, and diversification. |
| 400,968 (56%) | 315,880 (44%) | |
| Proposition 4 | Property | Allow encumbrance on homestead property for owelty of partition and refinancing of a lien against the homestead. |
| 368,486 (51%) | 347,858 (49%) | |
| Proposition 5 | Bond issues; Veterans policy | Increase bonds by $500 million to support the veterans' housing assistance fund. |
| 428,484 (60%) | 289,690 (40%) | |
| Proposition 6 | Taxes | Exempt residence homesteads of surviving spouses over the age of 55 from property taxes |
| 604,604 (84%) | 116,888 (16%) | |
| Proposition 7 | Bond issues | Reduce authorized bonds for the superconducting super collider research facility from $500 million to $250 million. |
| 558,729 (78%) | 155,830 (22%) | |
| Proposition 8 | Local official term limits; Law enforcement officers and departments | Abolish the office of constable in Mills, Reagan, and Roberts counties. |
| 521,933 (77%) | 159,233 (23%) | |
| Proposition 9 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Allow the Texas growth fund to invest in businesses without disclosing ties with South Africa or Namibia. | | 324,813 (46%) | 387,087 (54%) |
Washington
See also: Washington 1995 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiative 640 | Fisheries and fishing regulations; Business regulations | Provide new fishing gear regulations to ensure certain survival rates for non-targeted species. | | 566,880 (42%) | 767,686 (58%) | |
| Initiative 651 | Gambling policy; American Indian issues | Enable unrestricted gambling on tribal lands (excluding sports betting), with a tax on net gaming revenues. | | 350,708 (26%) | 1,010,787 (74%) | |
| Referendum 45 | Business regulations; Game and fish commissions; Fisheries and fishing regulations | Expand the fish and wildlife commission's jurisdiction to regulate food fish and negotiate interstate agreements |
| 809,083 (61%) | 517,433 (39%) | |
| Referendum 48 | Property taxes | Mandate government compensation for decreased private property values resulting from specific regulations | | 544,788 (41%) | 796,869 (59%) | |
| SJR 8210 | State judicial selection; State executive powers and duties | Hold four-year court elections for the Supreme Court chief justice and restrict the governor's vacancy-filling authority |
| 723,297 (58%) | 526,260 (42%) |
Wisconsin
See also: Wisconsin 1995 ballot measures
April 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Gambling policy | Permit the state to create a lottery whose proceeds would be dedicated to athletic facilities | | 348,818 (36%) | 618,377 (64%) | |
| Question 2 | Constitutional wording changes | Remove masculine gender pronouns | | 412,032 (45%) | 498,801 (55%) | |
| Question 3 | State judiciary | Permit a judge to hold a nonjudicial public office after vacating a judicial office during that term | | 390,744 (44%) | 503,239 (56%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
- • State ballot measures
- • Local ballot measures
- • Analyses
- • Historical Ballot Measures (HBM) Factbooks
- • History of ballot measures by topic
- • Campaign finance
- • Endorsements
- • Polls
Footnotes
