Ballot measure campaign finance, 2010
| 2010 U.S. State Ballot Measures | |
|---|---|
2011 »
« 2009
| |
 | |
| Part 1: Overview | |
| Measure results | |
| Polls | |
| Endorsements | |
| Part 2: Finances | |
| Contributions | |
| Signature costs | |
| Ballot Measure Monthly | |
| Signature requirements | |
| Finance disclosure rules | |
In 2010, 80 measures raised a total of $433 million in contributions. An average number of measures were featured on the ballot that year. In 2012, however, funds raised for ballot measures exceeded 2010's contribution total by $58 million.
Overview
- Main article: 2010 ballot measures
One-hundred and eighty-four ballot questions were certified for spots on 38 statewide ballots in 2010. The 184 measures on 2010 ballots represents about 80 percent of 220, the average number of ballot questions that have been on statewide ballots in even-numbered years from 1990-2008.
The five measures with the highest contributions appeared on the ballot in California. The state also took first place for states that raised the most funds in 2010. Washington appeared in second with a $156 million gap below California.
Contributions
- Main article: 2010 ballot measure campaign contributions
A total of about $432.6 million was raised from support and opposition campaigns in 2010.
| Total contributions to ballot measures by state | |
Top 5
Top 5 states
- $217.0 million - California
- $61.0 million - Washington
- $25.6 million - Florida
- $21.7 million - Missouri
- $13.0 million - Oregon
Top 5 measures
- $50.0 million - California Proposition 23
- $47.0 million - California Proposition 16
- $33.0 million - California Proposition 25
- $31.0 million - California Proposition 24
- $26.5 million - California Proposition 26
Contributions by topic of measure
Five topics accounted for $358 million, or about 83 percent, of contributions: taxes; elections and campaigns; state budgets; energy; and redistricting. A total of 78 measures contributed to the total. Taxes alone represented 34 percent of 2010's contributions.
Contributions by type of measure
Of the 10 measures in 2010 with the highest donations, all were citizen initiatives.
Initiatives, including veto referendums, received about $408 million, or 94 percent, of all 2010 contributions.
Costs
- Main article: 2010 ballot measure petition signature costs
Ballotpedia's cost-per-required-signature (CPRS) analysis compares the amount spent on the petition drive (for those initiatives that pay circulators) to the number of signatures the state requires to qualify an initiative for the ballot.
The CPRS for 2010's certified initiatives and referendums ranged from as little as eight cents, in Massachusetts, to as much as $9.51, in Montana, per signature. The average CPRS for 2010 was $3.29.
In total, about $36 million was spent on petition signature gathering.
See also
- Campaign finance disclosure rules for ballot measure campaigns
- 2010 ballot measure petition signature costs
- 2010 ballot measure campaign contributions
Footnotes
