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Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2021
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.
This page was updated weekly throughout 2021 with the final count of statewide measures certified for 2021 ballots for the week.
One of the reasons that Ballotpedia staffers track certifications on a week-by-week basis each year (starting in 2010) is to enable a rough estimate as the year progresses about how many measures will ultimately be on the ballot. That's because there is a rough correlation between how many measures have been certified by, say, June 15 and how many ultimately qualify for the ballot.
This page contains:
- A graph of 2021 certifications compared to 2011-2019
- The numbers of certifications in past years
- A chronological list by week for each 2021 measure certification
- Click here to go to the 2021 ballot measure overview page and view other analysis.
Visualizing 2021 certifications compared to past years
The graph below shows the number of certifications in each week of 2017 and 2019, as well as the average for each week from 2011 through 2019. The graph also shows 2021 certifications and was updated each week until ballots were finalized for all states.
See the chart below for a full list and timeline of certifications.
Number of certifications in past years
- 2019: By the first week in October, 36 measure had been certified for the 2019 ballot.
- Ultimately, 36 measures were certified in 2019.
- 2017: By the first week in October, 27 measures had been certified for the 2017 ballot.
- Ultimately, 27 were certified in 2017, which set a seven-decade record for the lowest number of statewide measures certified for an odd-numbered year ballot.
- 2015: By the first week in October, 28 measures had been certified for the 2015 ballot.
- Ultimately, there were 28 statewide measures certified for 2015 ballots.
- 2013: By the first week in October, 31 measures had been certified for the 2013 ballot.
- Ultimately, there were 31 statewide measures certified for 2013 ballots.
- 2011: By the first week in October, 34 measures had been certified for the 2011 ballot.
- Ultimately, there were 34 statewide measures certified for 2011 ballots.
The 2021 Tuesday Count chart of certifications
The page chart below shows on a week-by-week basis in 2021 the number of ballot measures that are certified for the 2021 ballot, including several measures that were certified for the 2021 ballot in 2020.[1]
- Certified means that the relevant state election authority legally determined that the ballot measure has qualified to be on a statewide ballot.
- Ballot measures listed in the third column of the chart were certified in the week leading up to that Tuesday's count.
Methodological notes:
- At times, court decisions remove from the ballot a once-certified measure. If and when that happens, the change in certification status is documented in the chart.
- Some automatic ballot referrals, including constitutional convention ballot questions in some states, are mandated in a state's constitution to appear on the ballot at pre-set intervals (such as 10, 16, or 20 years). We define those as "pre-certified."
| Tuesday | Total measures certified | Added/subtracted this week | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020: | |||
| June 30 | 1 | +1 | |
| November 3 | 2 | +1 | |
| December 22 | 9 |
|
+7 |
| 2021: | |||
| January 5 | 9 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| January 12 | 9 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| January 19 | 9 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| January 26 | 10 | +1 | |
| February 2 | 10 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| February 9 | 14 | +4 | |
| February 16 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| February 23 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| March 2 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| March 9 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| March 16 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| March 23 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| March 30 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| April 6 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| April 13 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| April 20 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| April 27 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| May 4 | 14 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| May 11 | 17 | +3 | |
| May 18 | 19 | +2 | |
| May 25 | 23 | +4 | |
| June 1 | 25 | +2 | |
| June 8 | 27 | +2 | |
| June 15 | 30 | +3 | |
| June 22 | 30 | +0 | |
| June 29 | 31 | +1 | |
| July 6 | 33 | +2 | |
| July 13 | 33 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| July 20 | 33 |
No certifications or removals |
+0
|
| July 27 | 33 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| August 3 | 36 | +3 | |
| August 10 | 36 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| August 17 | 36 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| August 24 | 36 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| August 31 | 39 | +3 | |
| September 7 | 39 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| September 14 | 39 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| September 21 | 39 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| September 28 | 39 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| October 5 | 39 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| October 12 | 39 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
| October 19 | 39 |
No certifications or removals |
+0 |
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ If it was discovered in, for example, June that the chart had been missing a measure all year that was legally certified before January 1, the chart was retroactively updated in each cell to reflect that reality.
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