1997 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 1997.
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
Colorado
See also: Colorado 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Transportation; Taxes | Increase the taxes on motor fuel and the fees for vehicle registration to fund transportation improvement projects. |  | 109,663 (16%) | 585,055 (84%) |
Maine
See also: Maine 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Parks, land, and natural area conservation | Make the Compact for Maine's Forests, which was made to promote sustainable forests management practice, into law | | 164,574 (47%) | 182,368 (53%) | |
| Question 2 | Water; Environment; Bond issues | Issue $7 million in bonds to construct water pollution control facilities, clean up tire stockpiles, and to make drinking water improvements |
| 236,170 (69%) | 107,523 (31%) | |
| Question 3 | Bond issues; Healthcare facility funding | Issue $10 million in bonds for the Adaptive Equipment Loan Program, which provided loans to people with disabilities to purchase adaptive equipment and to small businesses to improve disabled access, as well as improving accessibility and related safety issues at the University of Maine System and the State House |
| 188,522 (55%) | 152,736 (45%) | |
| Question 4 | Transportation; Bond issues | Issue $56.85 million in bonds for improvements to municipal and state roads, state and local bridges, airports, state ferry vessels and terminals and rail and marine facilities |
| 267,721 (78%) | 76,185 (22%) | |
| Question 5 | Election administration and governance; Constitutional wording changes | Repeal the language that barred persons under guardianship for reasons of mental illness from being able to vote | | 141,654 (42%) | 196,662 (58%) | |
| Question 6 | Transportation | Direct the Maine Turnpike Authority to construct an additional travel lane for each direction on the Maine Turnpike between miles 12 and 42 |
| 210,629 (61%) | 135,549 (39%) |
New Jersey
See also: New Jersey 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Bond issues; Housing |
| 907,806 (54%) | 772,865 (46%) | |
| Question 2 | Water; Bond issues |
| 1,024,151 (62%) | 624,104 (38%) | |
| Question 3 | Bond issues; Water |
| 1,006,029 (62%) | 609,620 (38%) |
New York
See also: New York 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State judicial authority | Increase the monetary jurisdiction limits of certain state courts. | | 1,074,603 (44%) | 1,359,910 (56%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Veterans policy | Clarify eligibility for additional civil service exam credits for active‑duty service members who later qualify as wartime veterans. |
| 1,663,611 (65%) | 883,312 (35%) | |
| Proposal 3 | Bond issues; Public education funding | Authorize the state to incur $2.4 billion in debt for school health and safety facility projects. | | 1,265,150 (47%) | 1,430,830 (53%) | |
| Question 1 | State constitutional conventions | Call a constitutional convention to revise and amend the State Constitution. | | 929,415 (37%) | 1,579,390 (63%) |
Ohio
See also: Ohio 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amend Worker's Compensation Law Referendum | Workers' compensation laws | Amend Workers' Compensation laws and regulations | | 1,305,040 (43%) | 1,730,502 (57%) | |
| Bail Restrictions for Felony Charges Amendment | Law enforcement; State judiciary | Authorize a court to deny bail to a person charged with a felony offense |
| 2,168,949 (73%) | 803,658 (27%) |
Oregon
See also: Oregon 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure 51 | Assisted death policy | Repeal Measure 16 (1994), which allowed persons suffering from a terminal disease to obtain a physician’s prescription for drugs to end his or her life | | 445,830 (40%) | 666,275 (60%) | |
| Measure 52 | Education; Bond issues | Authorize legislation establishing a state lottery bond program to finance public school projects. |
| 805,742 (73%) | 293,425 (27%) |
May 20
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure 49 | Prison work regulations; Civil trials; Business regulations | Restrict prison inmates from initiating lawsuits about work assignments and allow interstate shipment of prison-made products. |
| 699,813 (91%) | 70,940 (9%) | |
| Measure 50 | Taxes; Property | Replace the tax limitations in Measure 47 with a reduced maximum assessed property value for the 1997-1998 tax year. |
| 429,943 (56%) | 341,781 (44%) |
Pennsylvania
See also: Pennsylvania 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Taxes; Property | create a property tax homestead exclusion |
| 1,240,406 (61%) | 778,105 (39%) | |
| Question 2 | State executive powers and duties; Criminal sentencing | make changes to board of pardons |
| 1,182,067 (59%) | 811,701 (41%) | |
| Question 3 | Absentee and mail voting | allow absentee voting for people who are away from their residences |
| 1,301,638 (65%) | 686,518 (35%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | State judicial selection | Allow municipal court judges to concurrently hold multiple civil offices. | | 423,793 (37%) | 731,044 (63%) | |
| Proposition 10 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Limit spending from the victims of crime compensation funds to victim-related compensation, services, or assistance. |
| 763,646 (69%) | 345,563 (31%) | |
| Proposition 11 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Limit the amount of state debt payable from the general revenue fund. |
| 742,798 (68%) | 350,317 (32%) | |
| Proposition 12 | State judiciary | Establish a deadline for supreme court action on a motion for a rehearing. |
| 858,513 (77%) | 253,254 (23%) | |
| Proposition 13 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Establish the Texas Tomorrow Fund for prepaid higher education tuition as a constitutionally protected trust fund. |
| 811,873 (72%) | 314,516 (28%) | |
| Proposition 14 | Administration of government; Law enforcement | Allow the legislature to set qualifications for constables. |
| 869,156 (78%) | 244,472 (22%) | |
| Proposition 2 | Taxes | Set limits on increases in the appraised value of residence homesteads for property tax purposes. |
| 852,031 (76%) | 273,957 (24%) | |
| Proposition 3 | Taxes; Water | Provided exemptions or relief from ad valorem taxes on property with water conservation initiatives. |
| 681,060 (62%) | 420,923 (38%) | |
| Proposition 4 | Constitutional wording changes | Remove duplicate numbering and certain obsolete provisions in the Texas Constitution. |
| 865,397 (79%) | 232,350 (21%) | |
| Proposition 5 | State judiciary | Allow the supreme court to conduct business anywhere in the state. |
| 665,617 (59%) | 458,791 (41%) | |
| Proposition 6 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Allow the Texas growth fund to invest in businesses without requiring them to disclose investments in South Africa or Namibia. | | 562,535 (50%) | 564,070 (50%) | |
| Proposition 7 | Water; Bond issues | Authorize the Texas Water Development Board to transfer bond authorizations between water supply, water quality, and flood control categories for optimal fund use. |
| 707,498 (64%) | 398,795 (36%) | |
| Proposition 8 | Banking policy; Housing | Expand the types of home equity liens a lender could place against a homestead. |
| 698,870 (60%) | 474,443 (40%) | |
| Proposition 9 | Taxes | Authorize an ad valorem tax rate of five cents per $100 valuation in rural fire districts in Harris County. |
| 558,400 (53%) | 492,666 (47%) |
August 9
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Taxes | Increase the residence homestead school property tax exemption from $5,000 to $15,000 and provide for the transfer of the tax limitation to another qualified homestead for persons over the age of 65 |
| 693,522 (94%) | 45,619 (6%) |
Washington
See also: Washington 1997 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HJR 4208 | Property taxes; Public education funding | Provide an amendment to extend voter-approved school district tax levies from two to four years. |
| 858,777 (53%) | 759,259 (47%) | |
| HJR 4209 | Sewage and stormwater; Local government organization | Permit local governments to provide loans for the conservation or the more efficient use of stormwater or sewer services |
| 1,002,382 (64%) | 573,083 (36%) | |
| Initiative 673 | Private health insurance; Public health insurance; Business regulations | Provide for additional health plan requirements, including maintaining the same healthcare provider during insurance or employment changes, disclosing the distribution of premium and investment incomes, and prohibiting discrimination against providers. | | 521,161 (32%) | 1,087,903 (68%) | |
| Initiative 676 | Firearms policy | Prohibit the transfer of handguns not equipped with a trigger-lock and require handgun owners to obtain handgun safety licenses. | | 496,690 (29%) | 1,194,004 (71%) | |
| Initiative 677 | LGBTQ issues | Prohibit employers, employment agencies, and labor organizations from discriminating based on sexual orientation | | 666,073 (40%) | 985,169 (60%) | |
| Initiative 678 | Healthcare governance | Provide authorization for dental hygienists with special licensing to perform without the supervision of a licensed dentist. | | 787,607 (47%) | 883,488 (53%) | |
| Initiative 685 | Drug crime policy | Provide for decriminalization and medical use of Schedule 1 controlled substances and the establishment of a drug prevention committee | | 659,244 (40%) | 1,006,964 (60%) | |
| Referendum 47 | Property taxes | Provide modifications to the 106 percent property tax limit, allowing for adjustments in valuation where the value has increased due to the real estate market |
| 1,009,309 (64%) | 579,620 (36%) |
June 17
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referendum 48 | Athletics and sports; Public economic investment policy | Authorize the creation of a public stadium authority, in collaboration with a professional football team, to construct, maintain, and operate a stadium |
| 820,364 (51%) | 783,584 (49%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
Footnotes
