2023 ballot measures

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2023 U.S. state ballot measures
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In 2023, 41 statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in eight states—Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. That's the highest number of state ballot measures for an odd-numbered year since 2007. Voters approved 33 (80.49%) and rejected eight (19.51%).

• Between March and August 2023, voters in three states decided on five ballot measures. Voters approved three and rejected two of these measures.

• On October 14, voters in Louisiana approved four constitutional amendments, including Amendment 1, which addressed private financing of election administration, and Amendment 2, which provided state constitutional rights regarding places of worship.

• On November 7, voters in five states decided on 28 ballot measures, including six citizen-initiated ballot measures (two in Ohio, and four in Maine). Voters approved 23 and rejected five ballot measures on November 7.

• On November 18, the last statewide ballot measure election of 2023, voters in Louisiana decided on an additional four constitutional amendments. Voters approved three and rejected one constitutional amendment.

From 2011 to 2021, the average number of statewide ballot measures in an odd-numbered year was 33.

Trends in 2023

Types of ballot measures

From 2011 to 2021, an average of 33 statewide ballot measures — 5 initiated measures and 28 referred measures — appeared on ballots in odd-numbered years. An initiated measure is a proposed law that people collect signatures for to put on the ballot. A referred measure is a proposed law that a legislature or commission, or constitutional provision in the case of automatic referrals, puts on the ballot for voters to decide.

Type	2023	2021	2019	2017	2015	2013	2011	Average (2011-2021)
Initiated ballot measures	7	4	2	4	5	3	12	5
Initiated constitutional amendments	1	1	0	1	1	1	4	1
Initiated state statutes	6	3	1	3	4	2	6	3
Veto referendums	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	1
Referred ballot measures	34	35	34	23	23	28	22	28
Legislative constitutional amendment	31	23	19	16	16	17	21	19
Legislative state statute	2	1	2	0	1	1	1	1
Commission-referred measure	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Automatically referred measure	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Bond issues	0	8	1	3	2	5	0	3
Advisory question	1	3	12	3	4	5	0	5
Total:	41	39	36	27	28	31	34	33

The following chart illustrates the numbers of initiated measures and referred measures for each odd-numbered year from 2001 to 2023. The year with the most initiated measures, at 19, was 2005. The year with the most referred measures, at 59, was 2003.

Topics

• Abortion: In 2022, following Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, there were six ballot measures addressing abortion, including three constitutional amendments to establish a state constitutional right to abortion. Voters approved each one. In 2023, there was one—Ohio Issue 1—which voters approved.

See also: History of abortion ballot measures

• Marijuana: Heading into November, marijuana was legal in 23 states and D.C. Fourteen (14) of those 23 states had legalized marijuana through the ballot measure process. Voters in Ohio approved Issue 2, which legalized the recreational or personal use of marijuana in the state. About 49.07% of the U.S. population lived in a state where marijuana was legal before Issue 2. Approval of Ohio Issue 2 increased that percentage to 52.56%. Earlier in 2023, voters rejected an initiative to legalize marijuana in Oklahoma.

See also: History of marijuana ballot measures and laws

• RCV: Voters in seven local jurisdictions decided on ranked-choice voting (RCV) local ballot measures in 2023. Voters approved the six measures to adopt RCV and rejected one measure to repeal the electoral system.

See also: History of ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures

Campaign finance

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2023

Ballotpedia identified $189.82 million in contributions to support or oppose statewide measures on ballots in 2023, which was more than the previous three odd-numbered year election cycles.

States with most contributions

The following five states had the most ballot measure campaign contributions:

Note: The total contributions for a state are not equal to the aggregate contributions for the ballot measures in that state because some PACs support or oppose more than one ballot measure.

State	Measures	Contributions
Ohio	3	$126,716,040
Maine	8	$48,427,278
Colorado	2	$5,806,727
Oklahoma	1	$5,314,399
Texas	14	$3,071,245

Measures with most contributions

The campaigns surrounding the following five ballot measures had received the most contributions:

Measure	Support	Opposition	Total	Outcome
Ohio Issue 1, Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative	$53,825,871	$36,086,325	$89,912,196
Ohio Issue 1, 60% Vote Requirement to Approve Constitutional Amendments Measure	$23,554,336	$22,023,777	$45,578,113	d
Maine Question 3, Pine Tree Power Company Initiative	$1,208,361	$39,965,654	$41,174,015
Maine Question 1, Voter Approval of Borrowing Above $1 Billion by State Entities and Electric Cooperatives Initiative	$24,943,829	$0	$24,943,829
Ohio Issue 2, Marijuana Legalization Initiative	$6,739,421	$927,900	$7,667,321

Comparison to prior years

The following graph shows the total contributions to state ballot measure committees in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023.

By date

The following is a list of state ballot measures that were decided at elections other than the election on November 7, 2023.

March 7

• Oklahoma State Question 820, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (March 2023) d

April 4

• Wisconsin Question 1, Conditions of Release Before Conviction Amendment (April 2023) a
• Wisconsin Question 2, Conditions for Cash Bail Amendment (April 2023) a
• Wisconsin Question 3, Work Requirement for Welfare Benefits Advisory Question (April 2023) a

August 8

• Ohio Issue 1, 60% Vote Requirement to Approve Constitutional Amendments Measure (2023) d

October 14

• Louisiana Amendment 1, Ban on Private or Foreign Funding of Election Costs Amendment (October 2023) a
• Louisiana Amendment 2, Constitutional Right to Worship in a Church or Place of Worship Amendment (October 2023) a
• Louisiana Amendment 3, State Retirement System Funding Amendment (October 2023) a
• Louisiana Amendment 4, Prohibit Property Tax Exemptions for Nonprofits Owning Damaged Residential Property Amendment (October 2023) a

November 18

• Louisiana Amendment 1, Gubernatorial Deadlines on Bills and Legislative Veto Sessions Amendment (2023) a
• Louisiana Amendment 2, Remove Constitutional References to Inactive State Funds Amendment (2023) a
• Louisiana Amendment 3, Property Tax Exemptions for First Responders Amendment (2023) a
• Louisiana Amendment 4, Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund Amendment (2023) d

By state

Colorado

See also: Colorado 2023 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRSS	Proposition HH	Taxes; Property	Enact changes to state property taxes and revenue limitations, including reducing property tax rates and allowing the state government to retain revenue that would otherwise be required to be reimbursed under TABOR		682,667 (41%)	995,259 (59%)
LRSS	Proposition II	Taxes; Tobacco	Allow the state government to retain and spend surplus revenue obtained from the higher taxes on cigarettes, tobacco, and nicotine products, as outlined in Proposition EE of 2020	a	1,130,047 (68%)	543,405 (32%)

Louisiana

See also: Louisiana 2023 ballot measures

October 14, 2023:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	Campaign finance	Prohibit state and local governments from using funds, goods, and services donated by foreign governments or nongovernmental (private) sources for the purpose of conducting elections	a	734,324 (73%)	277,564 (27%)
LRCA	Amendment 2	Constitutional rights; Religion	Provide in the Louisiana Constitution that "the freedom to worship in a church or other place of worship is a fundamental right that is worthy of the highest order of protection"	a	805,676 (79%)	211,621 (21%)
LRCA	Amendment 3	Budgets; Public retirement funds	Require a minimum of 25% of nonrecurring state revenue to be applied to the balance of the unfunded liability of the state retirement system	a	559,540 (56%)	436,717 (44%)
LRCA	Amendment 4	Housing; Taxes; Property	Prohibit a nonprofit organization from receiving a property tax exemption when residential property is in disrepair and dangerous to the public's health or safety	a	661,332 (66%)	340,632 (34%)

November 18, 2023:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	State executive; Legislature	Provide that the legislature may consider vetoed bills during a regular or extraordinary session rather than convening a separate veto session; clarify that the governor's deadline to act on a bill is based on the legislative session in which the bill was passed	a	387,207 (61%)	247,266 (39%)
LRCA	Amendment 2	Budgets	Repeals constitutional provisions establishing various state funds that are now inactive and transfers remaining money in the funds to the state general fund	a	346,766 (55%)	287,211 (45%)
LRCA	Amendment 3	Taxes; Property	Authorizes local governments to provide an additional property tax exemption of up to $2,500 for first responders including fire fighters, emergency medical service personnel, emergency response dispatchers, peace officers, police officers, and sheriffs.	a	338,823 (53%)	300,477 (47%)
LRCA	Amendment 4	Budgets	Allows the state legislature, through a two-thirds supermajority vote, to use up to $250 million of funds in the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to alleviate a budget deficit		278,009 (44%)	353,622 (56%)

Maine

See also: Maine 2023 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
IndISS	Question 1	Ballot measures; Energy; Budgets	Require voter approval for certain state entities, municipal electric districts, electrification cooperatives, or consumer-owned transmission utilities to incur an outstanding debt that exceeds $1 billion	a	260,670 (65%)	137,478 (35%)
IndISS	Question 2	Campaign finance	Prohibit election spending by foreign governments, including entities with partial (5% or more) foreign government ownership or control	a	348,781 (86%)	55,226 (14%)
IndISS	Question 3	Utilities; Energy markets; Administrative organization	Create the Pine Tree Power Company, an electric transmission and distribution utility governed by an elected board		122,961 (30%)	283,401 (70%)
IndISS	Question 4	Business; Transportation	Allow motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities to have access to the vehicle on-board diagnostic systems	a	341,574 (84%)	63,208 (16%)
LRCA	Question 5	Initiative process	Change the judicial review period from within 100 days of a petition being filed to within 100 business days from the deadline for filing a petition	a	227,602 (58%)	166,876 (42%)
LRCA	Question 6	Constitutional wording; American Indian issues	Repeals Article X, Section 7 of the Maine Constitution, which would provide for Section 1, Section 2, and Section 5, which concern American Indian provisions, to be included in any printed copies of the State Constitution	a	289,818 (73%)	107,466 (27%)
LRCA	Question 7	Initiative process	Remove the requirement that an initiative petition signature gatherer must be a resident and registered voter of Maine		122,646 (31%)	269,699 (69%)
LRCA	Question 8	Election administration; Constitutional wording	Removes a constitutional provision, found unconstitutional in 2001, that says individuals under a guardianship for reasons of mental illness cannot vote for governor, senators, and representatives		184,063 (47%)	211,120 (53%)

New York

See also: New York 2023 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Proposal 1	Public education funding; Debt limits	Remove the debt limitations in the New York Constitution from small city school districts	a	1,504,083 (64%)	833,758 (36%)
LRCA	Proposal 2	Utilities; Budgets	Exclude indebtedness for the construction or reconstruction of sewage facilities contracted prior to 2034	a	1,582,382 (68%)	744,696 (32%)

Ohio

See also: Ohio 2023 ballot measures

August 8, 2023

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Issue 1	Supermajority; Initiative process; Ballot measures	Require a 60% vote to approve a constitutional amendment; increase the signature distribution requirement; and eliminate the signature cure period		1,329,052 (43%)	1,769,482 (57%)

November 7, 2023

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
CICA	Issue 1	Constitutional rights; Abortion	Provide that each individual has the right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions	a	2,227,384 (57%)	1,695,480 (43%)
IndISS	Issue 2	Marijuana	Legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older	a	2,226,399 (57%)	1,666,316 (43%)

Oklahoma

See also: Oklahoma 2023 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
CISS	State Question 820	Marijuana	Legalize marijuana in Oklahoma		217,078 (38%)	349,284 (62%)

Texas

See also: Texas 2023 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Proposition 10	Taxes	Authorizes an ad valorem tax exemption on equipment and inventory manufactured by medical or biomedical companies	a	1,370,569 (55%)	1,121,576 (45%)
LRCA	Proposition 11	Budgets; Local government; Parks	Authorizes the state legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to allow the county to issue bonds to fund parks and recreational facilities	a	1,526,830 (63%)	883,339 (37%)
LRCA	Proposition 12	Local government	Abolishes the Galveston County treasurer	a	1,212,667 (53%)	1,078,056 (47%)
LRCA	Proposition 13	Age limits; Judiciary	Increases the mandatory retirement age for state judges from 75 to 79		932,834 (37%)	1,567,129 (63%)
LRCA	Proposition 14	Budgets; Parks	Creates the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund	a	1,928,021 (77%)	591,658 (23%)
LRCA	Proposition 1	Agriculture; Constitutional rights; Forestry	Establishes a right to farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture, and wildlife management in the state constitution	a	2,025,803 (79%)	537,666 (21%)
LRCA	Proposition 2	Taxes; Property	Allow local governments to exempt child-care facilities from property taxes	a	1,629,151 (65%)	885,704 (35%)
LRCA	Proposition 3	Taxes	Prohibit a wealth or net worth tax	a	1,712,458 (68%)	809,815 (32%)
LRCA	Proposition 4	Local government; Public education funding; Homestead tax; Tax exemptions; Revenue and spending limits	Increase homestead tax exemption from $40,000 to $100,000 and increase state funding for public education	a	2,121,784 (83%)	421,177 (17%)
LRCA	Proposition 5	Higher education funding; Restricted-use funds; Spending	Renames the National Research University Fund to the Texas University Fund and establishes an ongoing revenue source from the accrued interest of the economic stabilization fund	a	1,622,620 (64%)	898,790 (36%)
LRCA	Proposition 6	Water; Budgets	Creates the Texas Water Fund to finance water projects	a	1,969,996 (78%)	566,712 (22%)
LRCA	Proposition 7	Utilities; Energy; Budgets	Creates the Texas Energy Fund and authorizes funding to modernize electric generation facilities	a	1,644,279 (65%)	888,410 (35%)
LRCA	Proposition 8	Budgets; Telecommunications	Creates the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund to finance high-speed broadband access	a	1,750,736 (69%)	770,112 (31%)
LRCA	Proposition 9	Public retirement funds	Authorizes the state legislature to make cost-of-living adjustments or other benefit enhancements to eligible annuitants of the teacher retirement system	a	2,145,585 (84%)	416,824 (16%)

Wisconsin

See also: Wisconsin 2023 ballot measures

April 4:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Question 1	Bail; Criminal trials	Authorize the state legislature to define serious harm in relation to the conditions a judge imposes on an accused person released before conviction	a	1,163,303 (67%)	584,624 (33%)
LRCA	Question 2	Bail; Criminal trials	Authorize judges to impose cash bail on an accused person of a violent crime based on circumstances, like the need to protect the community from serious harm and the probability the accused will not appear in court	a	1,186,025 (68%)	569,286 (32%)
LRAQ	Question 3	Public assistance	Advise the state legislature to require able-bodied childless adults to look for work in order to receive tax-payer funded welfare benefits	a	1,417,035 (80%)	363,941 (20%)

See also

• Laws governing ballot measures
• States with initiative or referendum