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Ballot measure campaign finance, 2021
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This page summarizes the campaign finance data for statewide ballot measures certified to go before voters in 2021.
Overview
A total of 39 statewide ballot measures were certified for the 2021 ballot in nine states. Twenty-six measures were approved, and 13 were defeated.
- 24 measures were on the November 2 ballot. 14 were approved, and 10 were defeated.
- 4 measures were on the November 13 ballot in Louisiana. One was approved, and three were defeated.
- 4 measures were on the ballot on May 18 in Pennsylvania. They were approved.
- 7 bond measures were on the ballot on March 2 in Rhode Island. They were approved.
Committees registered to support or oppose these statewide measures reported a combined total of '$107.64 million in contributions.
Statewide ballot measure campaign contributions, 93% (about $99 million) was raised by the support and opposition campaigns of Maine Question 1, the electric transmission lines initiative. Support committees raised $27.65 million, and opposition committees raised $71.97 million as of December 17.
Contributions by state
The following ballot measure committee contribution totals have been reported in each state with 2021 statewide measures:
- Maine - $99,692,746.03
- Colorado - $5,850,284.60
- Rhode Island - $1,009,916.00
- Texas - $370,160.00
- New York - $358,180.12
- Louisiana - $69,000.00
- Pennsylvania - $0
- New Jersey - $0
- Washington - $0
2021 ballot measure contributions
The charts below list all of the statewide measures certified to appear on the ballot in 2021, along with the supporting and opposing contributions for each measure, and the outcome of each measure. Blanks in the charts below indicate that campaign finance information is unavailable or not yet compiled.
Measures put on the ballot through citizen petitions generally attract more spending than measures put before voters by the legislature. The ballot measures listed below are divided into one chart for citizen initiatives and veto referendums and another chart for legislative referrals and automatic ballot referrals.
Initiatives and veto referendums
The measures listed in this section were put on the ballot through citizen signature petition campaigns to propose a new law through initiatives or to seek the repeal of a law passed by the legislature through a veto referendum.
| Ballot Measure | Support Contributions | Oppose Contributions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Amendment 78, Custodial Fund Appropriations Initiative (2021) | $1,275,000.00 | $0.00 | 
|
| Colorado Proposition 119, Creation of Out-of-School Education Program and Marijuana Sales Tax Increase Initiative (2021) | $2,937,235.00 | $84,199.60 |
|
| Colorado Proposition 120, Reduce Property Tax Rates and Retain $25 Million in TABOR Surplus Revenue Initiative (2021) | $1,553,850.00 | $0.00 |
|
| Maine Question 1, Electric Transmission Line Restrictions and Legislative Approval Initiative (2021) | $27,945,525.92 | $71,959,827.12 | 
|
Legislative and automatic referrals
The measures listed below were put on the ballot by the state legislature or automatically required by a state law or the state constitution. These types of measures usually generate less campaign spending than initiatives and veto referendums.
Contributions per vote analysis
One method for analyzing the effectiveness of campaigns is to look at the size of their funds relative to the number of votes their position received. This is a contributions-per-votes (CPV) amount.
In 2021, the ballot initiative that saw the most contributions for and against was Maine Question 1 at $99.62 million. A total of 412,086 people voted on Maine Question 1, leading to a CPV of $241.75 per vote cast. Supporters raised $27.65 million, and their position ('yes') received 243,943 votes, for a CPV of $113.33 per vote. Opponents raised $98.41 million, and their position ('no') received 168,143 votes, for a CPV of $448.61.
Of the 39 statewide measures on the ballot in 2021, campaigns surrounding 17 measures received contributions. The following table includes the 10 ballot measures with the highest total combined CPVs in 2021.
| Measure | Outcome | Votes | Contributions | CPV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Question 1 | |
412,086 | $99,619,879.68 | $241.75 |
| Rhode Island Question 3 | |
104,972 | $300,000.00 | $2.86 |
| Rhode Island Question 7 | |
105,391 | $263,700.00 | $2.50 |
| Rhode Island Question 1 | |
105,887 | $215,250.00 | $2.03 |
| Colorado Proposition 119 | |
1,533,149 | $3,021,434.60 | $1.97 |
| Rhode Island Question 4 | |
105,829 | $127,028.00 | $1.20 |
| Colorado Proposition 120 | |
1,518,579 | $1,553,850.00 | $1.02 |
| Colorado Amendment 78 | |
1,503,687 | $1,275,000.00 | $0.85 |
| Rhode Island Question 2 | |
105,589 | $81,450.00 | $0.77 |
| Texas Proposition 2 | |
1,476,287 | $370,160.00 | $0.25 |
| Rhode Island Question 5 | |
105,809 | $22,488.00 | $0.21 |
CPV for support campaigns
The following table illustrates the top-five CPV amounts for support campaigns, which is the amount received per each 'yes' vote on the ballot measure.
| Measure | Outcome | "Yes" Votes | Support Contributions | Support CPV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Question 1 | |
243,943 | $27,645,405.92 | $113.33 |
| Rhode Island Question 3 | |
69,318 | $300,000.00 | $4.33 |
| Rhode Island Question 7 | |
62,085 | $263,700.00 | $4.25 |
| Colorado Proposition 119 | |
701,479 | $2,937,235.00 | $4.19 |
| Rhode Island Question 1 | |
62,881 | $215,250.00 | $3.42 |
CPV for opposition campaigns
The following table illustrates the CPV amounts for opposition campaigns, which is the amount received per each 'no' vote on the ballot measure. In 2021, there were three ballot measures with opposition campaigns.
| Measure | Outcome | "No" Votes | Opposition Contributions | Opposition CPV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Question 1 | |
160,440 | $71,974,473.76 | $448.61 |
| Colorado Proposition 119 | |
831,670 | $84,199.60 | $0.10 |
| Maine Question 3 | |
160,440 | $1,000.00 | $0.01 |
See also
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