2007 ballot measure overview
On November 6, 2007, voters in six states--Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington--voted on 34 ballot measures. Voters in Louisiana already had their turn, with four measures on the Louisiana ballot on October 20. Voters in an eighth state, Ohio, will see a ballot measure--the Adult Entertainment Referendum--on their ballot, but votes for that measure will not be counted one way or the other.
Of the 38 ballot measures, 30 passed, and eight failed.
- See 2007 Ballot Measure Guide on Ballotpedia for vote totals on all 38 ballot measures.
2007 Citizen Initiatives and Referenda
Of the 34 ballot measures (38 including Louisiana's October vote), four were either initiatives or referenda, where signatures were collected to place the measure before voters.
The two citizen initiatives are:
- Washington I-960 Passed with 52% of the vote.[1]
- Maine Racino Initiative Failed with 48% in favor, 52% opposed..[2]
The two referenda--whose supporters hope to overturn decisions of their state legislatures--are:
- Utah School Voucher Referendum Failed (Failing means that a pro-school voucher bill approved by the Utah legislature and governor will not take effect.)[3]
- Washington Referendum 67. Passed (Passing means that a bill previously approved by the state legislature will take effect.)[4]
Voters in four states considered tax-related ballot measures. Five of the measures reformed or reduced taxes, and one of the measures (Oregon 50) proposed a tax increase.
- Texas Prop 3 will limit the appraised value of homes for property tax purposes. Passed
- Texas Prop 6 would exempt certain vehicles from property taxes. Passed
- Texas Prop 9 would provide property tax relief to veterans. Passed
- Washington I-960, if it passes, will require a 2/3 supermajority approval of new taxes. Passed
- Oregon Measure 50 would add a new cigarette tax of 84.5 cents per pack. Failed
- New Jersey Public Question One, if it passed, would have re-directed 1% of sales tax revenue to property tax relief. Failed
Bond issues
Voters in three states were asked to weigh in on ten different bond issues. Maine voters were asked to approve $134 million in new spending. New Jersey voters were asked to consider $650 million in new spending. Texas voters were asked to approve a whopping $9.75 billion in new spending.
Notes
