Ballotpedia:Analysis of the 2020 ballot measures

2020 U.S. state ballot measures
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December 15, 2020
By The Ballot Measures Team

Including pre-November, November 3, and December election dates, a total of 129 statewide ballot measures were certified for the 2020 ballot in 34 states. Ninety-three (93) of the measures were approved, and 36 were defeated.

Voters in 32 states decided 120 statewide ballot measures on November 3, 2020. Of the 120 statewide measures, 88 were approved and 32 were defeated.

There were also three measures (one each) on the ballot in the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All three were approved.

The average number of statewide measures on the ballot in even-numbered years between 2010 and 2018 was 172.

What you will find in this report:

• a breakdown of measures by topic
• highlighted topics and unique measures
• a breakdown of approval rates by measure type
• historical comparisons of the numbers and types of measures
• data on citizen initiative activity compared to recent elections
• a summary of signature petition drive costs
• campaign finance data and analysis
• a comparison of the number of referrals to previous years
• a summary of Ballotpedia's ballot language readability analysis
• a summary of bond and tax measures in 2020
• a summary of the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on 2020 ballot measures

By Topic

Notable 2020 topics for statewide ballot measures included taxes, election policy, redistricting, gambling, marijuana, healthcare, and law enforcement.

The most prevalent issues addressed at the ballot in 2020 were as follows:

• Taxes - 26 statewide measures ranging from new tax proposals, income tax rates, tobacco taxes, business-related taxes, sales tax rates, fees and surcharges, and tax-increment financing (TIF)
• Election policy and redistricting - 18 statewide measures concerning campaign finance, election dates, election systems, redistricting, suffrage, term limits, and term lengths
• Gambling - 7 measures proposing the issuance of bonds
• Marijuana - 7 measures
• Bond issues - 7 measures proposing the issuance of bonds
• Law enforcement and trials - 7 measures
• Healthcare and Medicaid expansion - 7 measures
• Budgets and spending - 6 measures

Click [show] in the chart below to reveal a breakdown of all 2020 measures by topic.

:: Note: Most measures concerned multiple topics and are included in multiple categories below. Therefore, the sum of the number in each category does not equal the total of all statewide measures in 2020. For measures that concerned multiple topics, Ballotpedia staff identified the key topics of the measure.

Notable topics and unique measures in 2020

Click on the arrows (▼) below for details about each topic and a list of measures, including outcomes.

Elections policy: Eighteen measures were on the ballot in 14 states concerning election policy, including campaign finance, election dates, election systems, redistricting, suffrage, and term limits.

Election policy on the ballot in 2020

In 2020, voters in 14 states voted on 18 ballot measures addressing election-related policies. One of the measures addressed campaign finance, one were related to election dates, five addressed election systems, three addressed redistricting, five addressed suffrage, and three addressed term limits.

Click Show to read details about the election-related measures on statewide ballots in 2020.

Election-related policy ballot measures in 2020

Campaign finance See also: Campaign finance on the ballot a Oregon Measure 107: Measure 107 authorizes the state legislature and local governments to (1) enact laws or ordinances limiting campaign contributions and expenditures; (2) require disclosure of contributions and expenditures; and (3) require that political advertisements identify the people or entities that paid for them. Going into the election, Oregon was one of five states with no limits on campaign contributions. Election dates a New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 2: The amendment allowed the state legislature to pass laws adjusting the election dates of state or county officeholders and adjusting office terms according to those date changes. Under the measure, laws proposing adjustments to election dates of non-statewide officeholders must be supported by a legislative finding that such a change would promote consistency or that it would evenly distribute the number of offices appearing on the ballot. Election systems a Alaska Ballot Measure 2: Ballot Measure 2 replaced the state's partisan primaries with open top-four primaries for state executive, state legislative, and congressional offices and established ranked-choice voting for general elections, including the presidential election, in which voters would rank the candidates. Ballot Measure 2 also required persons and entities that contribute more than $2,000 that were themselves derived from donations, contributions, dues, or gifts to disclose the true sources, as defined in the law, of the political contributions. Colorado Proposition 113: In 2019, the Colorado State Legislature passed a bill to add Colorado to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). NPVIC member states have agreed to give the state’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote, provided the NPVIC goes into effect. The NPVIC was designed to go into effect if states representing at least 270 electoral votes join the NPVIC. The campaign Protect Colorado's Vote filed a veto referendum to overturn the law, which resulted in Proposition 113. On November 3, voters upheld the law and voted in favor of adding Colorado to the NPVIC. d Florida Amendment 3: Amendment 3 would have replaced Florida's closed primaries with top-two open primaries for elected state offices. Under Amendment 3, all candidates would have run in the same primary election. The top-two candidates, regardless of their partisan affiliation, would have moved on to the general election under Amendment 3. d Massachusetts Question 2: Question 2 would have enacted ranked-choice voting (RCV) for primary and general elections for state executive officials, state legislators, federal congressional representatives, and certain county offices. As of 2020, statewide elections in Massachusetts used a plurality voting system. a Mississippi Ballot Measure 2: As of 2020, Mississippi required that a candidate for governor or elected state office receive the most votes in a majority of the state's 122 state House of Representatives districts (known as the electoral vote requirement). Ballot Measure 2 repealed this requirement. Instead, Ballot Measure 2 provided that a candidate for governor or state office must receive a majority vote to win and that a runoff election would be held between the two highest vote-getters in the event that no candidate receives a majority vote. Redistricting See also: Redistricting measures on the ballot a Missouri Amendment 3: In 2018, Missouri voters approved Amendment 1, the Lobbying, Campaign Finance, and Redistricting Initiative, which created the nonpartisan state demographer responsible for state legislative redistricting. Amendment 3 repealed the nonpartisan state demographer and returned the state to the use of bipartisan redistricting commissions, with changes to the number and selection of commissioners. The 2020 amendment also maintained the criteria of competitiveness and partisan fairness that was enacted in 2018, but it loosened the partisan fairness requirement and required that population, voter rights abridgment, contiguous districts, simple shapes, and the rules for counties be considered with a higher priority. a New Jersey Public Question 3: As of 2020, the New Jersey Constitution required the state legislative redistricting commission to pass a redistricting plan within a month of receiving the official census data. Question 3 postponed state legislative redistricting until after the election on November 2, 2021, should the state receive federal census data after February 15, 2021. The U.S. Census Bureau asked Congress to extend the deadline to deliver census data from April 1, 2021, to July 31, 2021, due to delays related to the coronavirus pandemic. a Virginia Question 1: Question 1 transferred the power to draw the state's congressional and legislative districts from the state legislature to a redistricting commission composed of state legislators and citizens. Going into 2020, the Virginia General Assembly was responsible for drawing the state's congressional and state legislative district boundaries. The redistricting plans were passed as legislation and subject to the governor's veto power. Suffrage See also: Suffrage on the ballot a Alabama Amendment 1: Amendment 1 amended the Alabama Constitution to state that "only a citizen of the United States," rather than "every citizen of the United States," who is 18 years old or older has the right to vote in Alabama. a California Proposition 17: Proposition 17 amended the state constitution to allow people with felonies who are on parole to vote; therefore, the ballot measure kept imprisonment as a disqualification for voting but removed parole status. Going into 2020, the California Constitution disqualified people with felonies from voting until the completion of their imprisonment and parole. d California Proposition 18: Proposition 18 would have allowed 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primary elections and special elections. a Colorado Amendment 76: Amendment 76 amended the Colorado Constitution to state that “only a citizen”, instead of "every citizen", of the U.S. who is 18 years of age or older can vote in Colorado. Under the Colorado Votes Act, which went into effect in August 2019, individuals who are 17 years of age at the time of a primary election but who will be 18 years of age at the time of a general election were allowed to register to vote and vote in the primary election. According to the Colorado Blue Book, prevents 17-year-olds from voting. a Florida Amendment 1: Amendment 1 amended the Florida Constitution to state that “only a citizen” of the U.S. who is 18 years old or older can vote in Florida instead of saying that "every citizen" of the U.S. who is 18 years old or older can vote in Florida. Term limits and term lengths See also: Term limits on the ballot a Arkansas Issue 2: Issue 2 changed term limits of state legislators to twelve consecutive years with the opportunity to return after a four-year break. The 12-year limit applied to anyone elected in 2021 or after. Going into 2020, Arkansas legislators could serve up to 16 years throughout their lifetimes in the House or Senate. d Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 2: The amendment would have increased the office terms of commonwealth's attorneys from six years to eight years starting in 2030; increased the office terms of district judges from four years to eight years starting in 2022; and changed attorney licensing requirements for district judges from two years to eight years beginning in 2022. d Missouri Amendment 1: Amendment 1 would have limited the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, and attorney general to two terms of office in a lifetime. Going into 2020, the state constitution limited the governor and state treasurer to two terms of office in a lifetime but not the other executive offices.

Taxes: Voters in 14 states voted on 26 ballot measures addressing tax-related policies.

See also: Taxes on the ballot

Ten of the measures addressed taxes on properties, three were related to income tax rates, four addressed business-related taxes, two addressed sales tax rates, two addressed gambling tax rates, two addressed tobacco taxes, one addressed fees and surcharges, one addressed taxes on natural resources, and one was related to tax-increment financing (TIF).

Tax-related policy ballot measures in 2020

Income Tax a Arizona Proposition 208: The Invest in Education campaign proposed the ballot initiative to enact a 3.50% income tax, in addition to the existing income tax (4.50% in 2020), on income above $250,000 (single filing) or $500,000 (joint filing). Proposition 208 was designed to distribute the revenue from the 3.50% income tax to teacher and classroom support staff salaries, retention programs, and career and technical education programs. a Colorado Proposition 116: In 1987, the state's income tax was changed from graduated rates to a flat rate. The ballot initiative reduced the rate from 4.63% to 4.55%. d Illinois Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment: The Illinois State Legislature proposed the constitutional amendment to allow the state to enact legislation for a graduated income tax. As of 2020, the state constitution required that the state personal income tax be a flat rate. Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), who advocated for a graduated income tax during his gubernatorial campaign, provided most of the funds to the campaign backing the amendment. Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel, provided most of the opposition funds. Together, the support and opposition campaigns have raised over $120 million—just over $60 million each. Business-Related Taxes d Alaska Ballot Measure 1: The campaign Vote Yes for Alaska's Fair Share proposed the ballot initiative to increase taxes on oil production fields located in Alaska's North Slope that exceeded certain output minimums. According to Robin Brena, chairperson of Vote Yes for Alaska's Fair Share, three oil production fields—Alpine, Kuparuk, and Prudhoe Bay—met those criteria. BP, Conoco Phillips, ExxonMobil, and Hilcorp Energy funded the campaign to defeat Measure 1. a Nebraska Initiative 431: The initiative imposed an annual tax of 20% on gross gambling revenue of licensed gaming operators; distributing 2.5% of tax revenue to the Compulsive Gamblers Assistance Fund, 2.5% to the General Fund, 70% to the Property Tax Credit Cash Fund, and 25% to the counties where gambling is authorized at licensed racetracks. The initiative was one of three initiatives that together authorized, regulated, and taxed gambling at racetracks in Nebraska. Property-Related Taxes d California Proposition 15: The ballot initiative would have amended Proposition 13, which required that residential, commercial, and industrial properties are taxed based on their purchase price, with an annual adjustment based on inflation or 2%, whichever was lower. Proposition 15 would have required commercial and industrial properties, except those zoned as commercial agriculture, to be taxed based on their market value. In California, the proposal to assess taxes on commercial and industrial properties at market value, while continuing to assess taxes on residential properties based on the purchase price, is known as split roll. The state fiscal analyst estimated that Proposition 15 would have generated between $6.5 billion and $11.5 billion. Proposition 15 would have required that the revenue be allocated to local governments and schools. a California Proposition 19: The state Legislature proposed the constitutional amendment as a compromise with the California Association of Realtors, which had qualified a different ballot initiative. Proposition 19 allowed tax assessments to be transferred from someone's old home to their new home anywhere in the state and increased the number of times that tax assessments can be transferred from one to three for persons over 55 years old or with severe disabilities. Proposition 19 was also designed to require that inherited homes that are not used as principal residences, such as second homes or rentals, be reassessed at market value when transferred. a Colorado Amendment B: The constitutional amendment repealed the Gallagher Amendment (1982), which required a 45%-55% ratio between residential assessment rates and non-residential assessment rates regarding tax revenue. Therefore, Amendment B permitted the Colorado State Legislature to define tax assessment limits without reference to the 45%-55% ratio requirement. In Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Virginia, voters also decided seven ballot measures related to exemptions, adjustments, and payments, including Florida Amendment 5, Florida Amendment 6, Louisiana Amendment 2, Louisiana Amendment 5, Louisiana Amendment 6, New Jersey Question 2, and Virginia Question 2. Sales Tax a Arkansas Issue 1: The ballot measure continued an existing 0.5% sales tax, with revenue dedicated to roads, highways, and bridges, that would otherwise have expired in 2023. Issue 1 had the support of Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), and the campaign behind Issue 1 received financial support from Alice and Jim Walton. Tobacco a Colorado Proposition EE: The ballot measure increased the tax rate on cigarettes from 84 cents per pack to $2.64 per pack and the tax rate on tobacco products from 40% of the manufacturer's list price to 62% of the manufacturer's list price. The ballot measure also created a tax on nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes, designed to increase over seven years to 62% of the manufacturer's list price. Revenue from the tax increases was dedicated to preschool, education, housing, and the General Fund. a Oregon Measure 108: The ballot measure increased the cigarette tax from $1.33 to $3.33 per pack. The ballot measure also authorized a tax on e-cigarettes and other nicotine inhalants at a rate of 65% of the wholesale sales price and on cigars at 65% of the wholesale sales price (but not to exceed $1.00 per cigar). Revenue from the tax increases was dedicated to the Oregon Health Authority. Fees Colorado Proposition 117: In 1992, the Colorado Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) Amendment defined government-owned firms that provide goods or services for a fee as enterprises. Examples of enterprises include state nursing homes, state lotteries, Colorado Correctional Industries, and College Assist. The ballot measure would require voter approval of laws that create new enterprises should the enterprise's project or actual revenue from fees and surcharges exceed $100 million within the firm's first five years. TIF a Nebraska Amendment 2: The constitutional amendment increased the repayment period for tax increment financing from 15 to 20 years for areas where more than one-half of properties are designed as extremely blighted.

Marijuana: Four states approved recreational marijuana legalization measures, and two states approved medical marijuana initiatives.

See also: Marijuana on the ballot

Voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota approved recreational marijuana legalization. Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota were the first states to approve recreational marijuana legalization that had voted for the Republican presidential candidate from 2000 through 2016. New Jersey voters approved the first-ever legislatively referred (rather than citizen-initiated) recreational legalization ballot measure.

Voters in South Dakota and Mississippi approved medical marijuana initiatives. South Dakota was the first state to vote on both recreational and medical marijuana measures at the same election.

Ballot Measure:	Outcome:
Mississippi Initiative 65 and Alternative 65A: Medical Marijuana Amendment	ot
New Jersey Public Question 1: Marijuana Legalization Amendment	a
Arizona Proposition 207: Marijuana Legalization Initiative	a
South Dakota Initiated Measure 26: Medical Marijuana Initiative	a
South Dakota Constitutional Amendment A: Marijuana Legalization Initiative	a/ot
Montana CI-118: Allow for a Legal Age for Marijuana Amendment	a
Montana I-190: Marijuana Legalization Initiative	a

Notable or unique individual measures: 2020 statewide measures include the first-ever appearance of gig-economy policies on a statewide ballot, unique psilocybin mushroom use and drug-crime policy measures, wolf reintroduction, a veto referendum on cash bail, an affirmative action initiative, and state flag and state name change measures.

• California Proposition 22, App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative (2020) a/ot - Uber, Lyft, and Doordash sponsored a ballot initiative that defined app-based drivers as independent contractors and not employees. It also enacted several labor and wage policies. It was first time voters addressed gig-economy policies through a statewide ballot measure.
• California Proposition 25, Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments Referendum (2020) d - This measure asked California voters to choose between upholding Senate Bill 10 with a risk assessment system for determining whether to release detained criminal suspects before their trials or rejecting Senate Bill 10 and keeping in place the cash bail system. If voters had upheld Senate Bill 10 (2019), it would have made California the first state to end the use of cash bail for all detained suspects awaiting trials. Proposition 25 was one of four statewide veto referendums in the country in 2020.

• Colorado Proposition 114, Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative (2020) a - This first-of-its-kind citizen initiative required the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to create a plan to reintroduce and manage gray wolves on designated lands west of the continental divide by the end of 2023.

• Mississippi Ballot Measure 3, State Flag Referendum (2020) a - Mississippi voters were shown a colored picture of a new proposed state flag, named the In God We Trust Flag. Voters adopted the new flag. On June 30, the Mississippi Legislature approved and Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed House Bill 1796, which removed the official status of Mississippi's previous flag and called for the Nov. 3 flag referendum.

The proposed new state flag

• Rhode Island Question 1, Name Change Amendment (2020) a - This amendment removed "Providence Plantations" from the official state name. Rhode Island voters defeated a similar measure in 2010.

• Oregon Measure 109, Psilocybin Mushroom Services Program Initiative (2020) a - Oregon became the first state to legalize the use of psilocybin since voters approved Measure 109. The initiative created a program for administering psilocybin products, such as psilocybin-producing mushrooms and fungi, to individuals aged 21 years or older in approved psilocybin service centers under the supervision of a facilitator.
  • Oregon voters also decided Measure 110, which was designed to make personal/non-commercial possession of all controlled substances no more than a Class E violation. It also established a drug addiction treatment and recovery program funded in part by the state's marijuana tax revenue and state prison savings.
  • Washington, D.C., voters decided an initiative on Nov. 3 to declare that police treat the non-commercial cultivation, distribution, possession, and use of entheogenic plants and fungi as among the lowest law enforcement priorities. It was approved.
  • Voters in Denver, Colorado, approved Initiated Ordinance 301 in 2019 with 50.64% of the vote. The ordinance made the adult possession and use of psilocybin mushrooms the lowest law enforcement priority in Denver and prohibited the city from spending resources on enforcing related penalties. Three other cities—Oakland, California; Santa Cruz, California; and Ann Arbor, Michigan—have also decriminalized psilocybin through local ordinances.

• California Proposition 16, Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment (2020) d - Proposition 16 would have repealed Proposition 209, passed in 1996, from the California Constitution. Proposition 209 stated that discrimination and preferential treatment were prohibited in public employment, public education, and public contracting on account of a person's or group's race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Therefore, Proposition 209 banned the use of affirmative action involving race-based or sex-based preferences in California.

Statistical summary

The charts below include all statewide ballot measures certified for statewide ballots in 2020 including the 9 measures appearing on the ballot during non-November election dates:

2020 election stats
Total	Approved (%)	Defeated (%)
129	93 (72%)	36 (28%)

Initiated measures

See also: Ballot initiative and Veto referendum

Total initiatives	Amendments	Statutes	Veto referendums	Approved	Rejected
43	15	24	4	31 (72.1%)	12 (27.9%)

Legislatively referred amendments and statutes

See also: Legislative referral

Total referrals	Amendments	Statutes	Approved	Rejected
75	69	6	57 (76%)	18 (24%)

Bond issues

See also: Bond issue

Ballotpedia distinguishes between bond issues that are put on the ballot by the legislature through a legal process specifically designed for such proposals and alterations to state statute or the state constitution that call for bonded indebtedness.

In some states, the legislature is able to or sometimes required to put certain proposed bond issues before voters. This section lists legislatively referred bond questions. It does not list other types of measures that happened to propose the issuance of bonds or other indebtedness. For example, initiated constitutional amendments or initiated state statutes that were put on the ballot proposing the issuance of bonds are counted instead as initiated constitutional amendments and initiated state statutes, respectively. To see a full list of all statewide measures proposing the issuance of bonds, regardless of what type of measure was used, click here. In 2020, seven bond issues were referred to the ballot by state legislatures in three states. Additionally, one measure, California Proposition 14 proposed bonds but is counted as a citizen-initiated state statute.

Bond issues	Approved	Rejected
6	5 (83.33%)	1 (16.67%)

Advisory questions

See also: Advisory question

Questions	Approved	Rejected
4	0 (0%)	4 (100%)

Automatic ballot referrals

See also: Automatic ballot referral

In certain states, measures are automatically put on the ballot by law.

Questions	Approved	Rejected
1	0 (0%)	1 (100%)

Measures through the years

A trend of lower numbers of total statewide measures continued in 2020, with a total of 129 measures—well under the peak of 235 statewide measures seen in 2000 and below the average of about 172 in even-numbered years from 2010 through 2018.

Of the 129 measures on the ballot in 2020, 43 were citizen-initiated measures, while state legislatures referred 81 measures to the ballot. One measure was automatically referred to the ballot in Iowa. Four advisory questions were on the ballot in Washington.

The 129 statewide measures in 2020 was the lowest number of statewide measures since at least 1980. The recent high point was in 1998, with 272 measures. It is 26% lower than the average of 172 statewide measures in even-numbered years from 2010 through 2018.

The 43 citizen-initiated measures on the ballot is also low compared to recent years. It is higher than in 2014 when there were 40 citizen-initiated measures. It is 27% lower than the average of 59 from 2010 through 2018. It is 43% lower than the 76 citizen-initiated measures in 2016.

The chart below breaks out the statewide ballot measures certified for 2020 ballots—including the eight pre-November ballot measures—by type and compares these numbers to data from previous even-numbered years.

Type	2020	2018	2016	2014	2012	2010	Average (2010-2020)
Initiated ballot measures	43	68	76	40	61	50	56
Initiated constitutional amendments	15	26	25	8	19	17	18
Initiated state statutes	25	37	46	27	29	29	32
Veto referendums	4	5	5	5	13	4	6
Referred ballot measures	86	99	86	118	125	134	108
Legislative constitutional amendment	69	66	69	91	98	106	83
Legislative state statute	6	9	2	5	8	8	6
Commission-referred measure	0	7	0	1	0	0	1
Automatically referred measure	1	1	1	1	3	4	2
Bond issues	6	14	11	15	14	15	13
Advisory question	4	2	3	5	2	1	3
Total:	129	167	162	158	186	184	164

Click [show] in the chart below to see a breakdown of measures since 2000, including even- and odd-numbered years.

Total measures since 2000
Year	Initiatives	Legislative referrals	Other measures	TOTAL
2020	43	81	5	129
2019	2	22	12	36
2018	68	75	24	167
2017	4	19	4	27
2016	76	71	15	162
2015	5	17	6	28
2014	40	111	7	158
2013	3	24	5	31
2012	63	122	3	188
2011	12	22	0	34
2010	50	130	4	184
2009	8	24	0	32
2008	74	92	8	174
2007	4	39	1	44
2006	83	140	3	226
2005	19	26	0	45
2004	65	107	1	173
2003	7	60	1	68
2002	55	162	6	223
2001	4	35	0	39
2000	82	151	2	235
Even-year averages	66	116	7	189
Odd-year averages	13	38	2	54

Ballot initiative activity

See also: Ballot initiatives filed for the 2020 ballot

Initiatives on the ballot

The 129 statewide measures in 2020 were the lowest number of statewide measures on even-year ballots since at least 1980. The recent high point was in 1998, with 272 measures. It is 26% lower than the average of 172 statewide measures in even-numbered years from 2010 through 2018. The 43 citizen-initiated measures on the ballot was also low compared to recent years. It is higher than in 2014 when there were 40 citizen-initiated measures. It is 27% lower than the average of 59 from 2010 through 2018. It is 43% lower than the 76 citizen-initiated measures in 2016. Of the 43 citizen initiatives, four were veto referendums and 39 were constitutional amendments and state statutes.

Number of initiatives since 2008
2020	2018	2016	2014	2012	2010	2008	Average
43	68	76	40	63	50	74	59

Initiative filing activity

In 2020, 881 citizen-initiated measures were filed and 43 of them (4.88%) had successful signatures drives and made the ballot. This is a decrease from 2018, when 947 citizen-initiated measures were filed and 68 of them (7.18%) qualified for the ballot Initiatives fail to make the ballot for various reasons, including unconstitutional ballot text, shortage of valid signatures, and missed deadlines. In 2020, Ballotpedia tracked 27 ballot initiative campaigns that had started the process of signature gathering but subsequently stopped efforts amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Overview of proposals:

• Of the 26 states with some form of citizen-initiated measure, at least one measure was filed in 23 of them (88.5%).
• In Illinois, Maryland, and New Mexico, no citizen-initiated measures were filed targeting the 2020 ballot.
• The states with the most proposed citizen-initiated measures were Washington (229), Colorado (193), and Missouri (151); comprising 65% of all initiatives filed targeting the 2020 ballot.
• The states with the least proposed citizen-initiated measures were Wyoming (1), Idaho (3), and Nevada (3).
• The highest rates of certification were in Alaska and Nebraska (50%) and South Dakota (40%).
• The lowest rates of certification were in Arkansas, Idaho, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, and Wyoming, where none of the filed proposals made the ballot.

Overview of certifications:

• Of the 26 states with some form of citizen-initiated measure, at least one measure appeared on the ballot in 16 of them (61.5%). In 2018, a citizen initiative appeared on the ballot in 21 of them (80.8%).
• California and Colorado featured the most citizen initiatives on the ballot with eight appearing on the ballot in each state.
• In 2020, the number of initiatives appearing on statewide ballots ranged from 1 to 8. Five states featured one initiative, seven states featured two, two states featured four initiatives, and two states featured eight initiatives.

The following table illustrates the number of citizen-initiated measures proposed, the number that appeared on the ballot, and the percentage of proposals that appeared on the ballot.

	2010	2012	2014	2016	2018	2020
Proposed	606	566	616	1,069	947	881
Certified	50	63	40	76	68	43
Certified (%)	8.25%	11.13%	6.49%	7.11%	7.18%	4.88%

Signature collection costs

See also: Ballot measure signature costs, 2020 and Ballot measures cost per required signatures analysis

Of the 26 states with a process for statewide citizen-initiated measures, 16 states had a ballot initiative, veto referendum, or both on the ballot. A total of 43 citizen-initiated measures were certified for 2020 ballots, including three pre-November measures and 40 on the November 3 ballot. A total of $87.23 million was spent to collect the 11,178,353 valid signatures required to qualify the 42 measures with signature cost data available for the ballot. Three of the 43 total citizen-initiated measures were put on the ballot through volunteer signature drives. The remaining 40 used paid signature gatherers.

Ballotpedia tracked the total petition costs for each successful initiative and veto referendum petition drive, as well as the total cost compared to the number of valid signatures required to qualify the measure for the ballot, or the cost per required signature (CPRS).

Total cost:

The total cost depends on all of the factors that can make a petition effort more or less expensive, including the population of the state and the state's signature requirements. This measurement does not necessarily indicate how difficult it is to run a signature petition campaign in a state relative to other states or how hard and expensive it is to collect a given valid signature.

The average total petition cost for 2020 measures of $2.1 million was nearly double the average in 2018 ($1.2 million) and more than twice the average from 2010 through 2018 ($871,468). The total cost of successful paid signature petition drives ranged from $108,358 for a pre-November veto referendum in Maine to $8.8 million for Florida Amendment 4.

Cost Per Required Signature (CPRS):

The cost per required signature cuts out the variable of a state's signature requirements and shows the cost for each signature needed to qualify the measure for the ballot. This second measurement is a better indication of how difficult it is to run a signature petition campaign in a given state relative to other states.

The average CPRS for 2020 measures of $8.09 was 24% higher than the average in 2018 ($6.52) and nearly double the average from 2010 through 2018 ($4.7). The CPRS for successful paid signature petition drives ranged from $1.30 for Missouri Amendment 2, a pre-November Medicaid expansion initiative, to $24.20 for Montana CI-118, a marijuana initiative.

Campaign contributions

Total contributions

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020

Committees registered to support or oppose the 129 statewide measures on the ballot in 2020 reported a combined $1.20 billion in contributions and $1.02 billion in expenditures.

These figures included both cash contributions and expenditures as well as in-kind goods and services. Of the total contributions supporting or opposing the 129 statewide measures, the 43 citizen-initiated measures accounted for about 78% of contributions. Support campaigns raised 63.1% of contributions, and opposition campaigns raised 36.9% of contributions.

Most expensive measures

The following 10 ballot measures featured the largest amount in combined support and opposition campaign contributions. Of these 10 ballot measures:

• four were approved;
• six were defeated;
• eight were citizen-initiated measures;
• two were legislatively referred measures;
• the side with more funds won in seven of the ballot measure elections; and
• the side with fewer funds won in three of the ballot measure elections.

Measure	Type	Support	Opposition	Total	Outcome
California Proposition 22, App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative (2020)	Citizen initiative	$205,369,249.180	$18,883,768.39	$224,253,017.57	a/ot
California Proposition 15, Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative (2020)	Citizen initiative	$69,208,909.46	$74,797,172.16	$144,006,081.62	d
California Proposition 21, Local Rent Control Initiative (2020)	Citizen initiative	$40,852,356.62	$83,571,656.96	$124,424,013.58	d
Illinois Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment (2020)	Legislative referral	$62,273,502.14	$61,307,716.16	$123,581,218.30	d
California Proposition 23, Dialysis Clinic Requirements Initiative (2020)	Citizen initiative	$8,985,224.07	$105,243,533.85	$114,228,757.92	d
Massachusetts Question 1, "Right to Repair Law" Vehicle Data Access Requirement Initiative (2020)	Citizen initiative	$24,902,079.14	$26,555,884.09	$51,457,963.23	a
California Proposition 19, Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties Amendment (2020)	Legislative referral	$47,568,642.14	$238,521.02	$47,807,163.16	a
Arizona Proposition 208, Tax on Incomes Exceeding $250,000 for Teacher Salaries and Schools Initiative (2020)	Citizen initiative	$22,908,982.59	$8,349,339.38	$31,258,321.97	a/ot
California Proposition 16, Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment (2020)	Legislative referral	$25,134,604.07	$1,764,011.20	$26,898,615.27	d
California Proposition 25, Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments Referendum (2020)	Veto referendum	$15,301,459.78	$11,263,271.66	$26,564,731.44	d

Contributions by state

Of the 34 states featuring statewide ballot measures in 2020, 29 also featured campaigns with contributions reported according to state campaign finance reports available as of December 1, 2020.

The most money was contributed to ballot measure campaigns in California, where a total of $739 million was provided to support and opposition ballot measure committees. The contributions in California amounted to 62% of all contributions tracked by Ballotpedia for 2020 ballot measures.

As of December 1, 2020 the 15 states with the most ballot measure campaign finance activity reported surrounding all 2020 measures are below. These 15 states featured 98% of all statewide ballot measure campaign finance activity in 2020:

1. California - $739,034,485.77 in contributions
2. Illinois - $121,187,984.29 in contributions
3. Massachusetts - $61,638,288.41 in contributions
4. Colorado - $59,164,321.52 in contributions
5. Arizona - $38,303,028.52 in contributions
6. Florida - $33,973,672.01 in contributions
7. Alaska - $29,590,978.38 in contributions
8. Oregon - $25,369,571.08 in contributions

9. Missouri - $19,112,520.80 in contributions
10. Oklahoma - $13,560,280.02 in contributions
11. Nebraska - $12,854,055.38 in contributions
12. Montana - $9,060,451.76 in contributions
13. Mississippi - $6,787,064.03 in contributions
14. Maryland - $5,787,078.31 in contributions
15. Wisconsin - $4,428,884.05 in contributions

Contributions per vote

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.

Combined contributions per vote

The 2020 ballot measure with the most expensive campaigns in 2020 was California Proposition 22. Together, supporters and opponents raised $223 million in contributions. California, however, has the largest electorate in the United States. The conflict surrounding Proposition 22 saw about $13.11 raised for each vote cast for or against the ballot initiative.

The ballot measure with the highest cost-per-vote was in Alaska—Ballot Measure 1. Supporters and opponents raised a combined $64.64 per vote cast for or against the measure. Vote Yes for Alaska's Fair Share, the Ballot Measure 1 support campaign, was also the 2020 campaign with the highest CPV, spending $104.17 for every vote cast against the measure.

Two other ballot measures had combined CPV amounts above $20: Alaska Ballot Measure 2 and the Illinois Graduated Income Tax Amendment.

The following table includes the ten ballot measures with the highest total combined CPVs in 2020.

Measure	Outcome	Votes	Contributions	CPV
Alaska Ballot Measure 1	d	345,059	$22,305,054.95	$64.64
Alaska Ballot Measure 2	a	344,283	$7,285,923.43	$21.16
Illinois Graduated Tax Amendment	d	5,742,901	$121,187,984.29	$21.10
Massachusetts Question 1	a	3,466,856	$51,457,744.25	$14.84
California Proposition 22	a	16,985,325	$222,717,173.14	$13.11
Montana CI-118	a	589,289	$7,698,857.12	$13.06
Montana I-190	a	599,374	$7,698,857.12	$12.84
Oklahoma State Question 802	a	674,591	$6,145,664.73	$9.11
Missouri Amendment 2	a	1,270,178	$11,222,312.80	$8.84
Arizona Proposition 208	a	3,238,449	$27,337,783.58	$8.44

Top support

The highest CPV amount for a campaign supporting a ballot measure was $39.15. The campaign was Alaskans for Better Elections, which supported Alaska Ballot Measure 2. Ballot Measure 2 was approved by 50.5% of voters and enacts a top-four open system for primary elections and ranked-choice voting for general elections. The support campaign reported $6.8 million in contributions.

The following table illustrates the support campaigns with the five highest CPV amounts. Four campaigns were supporting citizen initiatives, and one was supporting a legislatively referred constitutional amendment.

Measure	Outcome	Support CPV	Opposition CPV	Difference
Alaska Ballot Measure 2	a	$39.15	$2.78	$36.37
Illinois Graduated Income Tax	d	$22.48	$19.89	$2.59
Montana CI-118	a	$21.64	$1.30	$20.34
Montana I-190	a	$21.63	$1.25	$20.38
California Proposition 22	a	$20.38	$2.81	$17.57

Top opposition

The highest CPV amount for a campaign opposing a ballot measure was $104.17. The campaign was OneAlaska, which opposed Alaska Ballot Measure 1. Ballot Measure 1 was defeated by a vote of 57.9% to 42.1%. The measure would have increased taxes on certain oil production fields.

The following table illustrates the opposition campaigns with the five highest CPV amounts. Four campaigns were opposing citizen initiatives, and one was opposing legislatively referred constitutional amendment.

Measure	Outcome	Support CPV	Opposition CPV	Difference
Alaska Ballot Measure 1	d	$10.36	$104.17	-$93.80
Massachusetts Question 1	a	$9.58	$30.61	-$21.02
Illinois Graduated Income Tax	d	$22.48	$19.89	$2.59
California Proposition 23	d	$1.46	$9.85	-$8.39
Nebraska Initiative 431	a	$7.26	$7.67	-$0.42

Largest differences

The following table illustrates the largest differences between the CPV amounts of support and opposition campaigns. All five measures were ballot initiatives.

Measure	Outcome	Support CPV	Opposition CPV	Difference
Alaska Ballot Measure 1	d	$10.36	$104.17	-$93.80
Alaska Ballot Measure 2	a	$39.15	$2.78	$36.37
Massachusetts Question 1	a	$9.58	$30.61	-$21.02
Montana I-190	a	$21.63	$1.25	$20.38
Montana CI-118	a	$21.64	$1.30	$20.34

Comparison to prior years

In both 2016 and 2018, contributions to ballot measure campaigns exceeded totals of $1 billion. In 2016, the average amount spent on a ballot measure was $6.2 million, with $12.3 million as the average for the 76 citizen-initiated measures and $881,907 as the average for the 86 legislative and automatic referrals. In 2018, the average amount spent on a ballot measure was $7.8 million, with $16.0 million as the average for the 68 citizen-initiated measures and $2.2 million as the average for the 99 legislative, automatic, and commission referrals. In 2020, the average amount spent on a ballot measure was $9.3 million, with about $21.8 million as the average for the 43 citizen-initiated measures and about $3.1 million as the average for the 86 legislative and automatic referrals.

Note: Contribution totals for 2020 are not final until all post-election reports are filed for the cycle. Therefore, the ultimate 2020 totals will be slightly higher than those listed below.

The table below provides the data for the charts above covering the total and average contributions to ballot measure campaigns from 2016 through 2022:

Note: The following table sums contributions for each measure. Some PACs supported multiple measures.

Contributions and average contributions by year
Year		Initiatives	Referrals	Total
Average per measure	$4,302,856.94	$460,083.16	$1,146,292.76
2016	Total	$936,000,000.00	$76,000,000.00	$1,012,000,000.00
	Average per measure	$12,318,977.91	$881,907.49	$6,246,913.58
2017	Total	$101,243,242.47	$7,520,734.80	$108,763,977.27
	Average per measure	$25,310,810.62	$326,988.47	$4,028,295.45
2018	Total	$984,133,527.91	$201,569,517.77	$1,185,703,045.68
	Average per measure	$14,472,551.88	$2,036,055.74	$7,100,018.24
2019	Total	$9,317,974.94	$18,722,299.14	$28,040,274.08
	Average per measure	$4,658,987.47	$550,655.86	$778,896.50
2020	Total	$988,404,738.19	$281,531,292.72	$1,269,936,030.91
	Average per measure	$23,533,446.15	$3,235,991.87	$9,844,465.36
2021	Total	$105,470,164.28	$1,626,754.58	$107,004,044.04
	Average per measure	$26,367,541.07	$46,478.70	$2,743,693.44
2022	Total	$1,075,470,522.80	$138,543,927.22	$1,214,014,450.02
	Average per measure	$35,849,017.43	$4,198,300.82	$19,272,448.82

Referral changes

Statewide measures can be put on the ballot in a variety of ways depending on the state. Often, the measures that receive the most attention are put on the ballot through citizen signature petition drives. But the citizen-initiated measures are usually outnumbered by measures referred to the ballot by the state legislature, measures put on the ballot by certain commissions or conventions, and measures that are automatically required by state laws. A total of 86 referrals and automatic ballot measures were featured on statewide ballots in 2020, making up 66.67% of all measures. Forty-three citizen initiatives appeared on the 2020 ballot.

This compares to a total of 99 on the ballot in 2018 and 86 on the ballot in 2016. In 2014, 118 referrals and automatic ballot questions appeared on the ballot. In 2012 and 2010, 125 and 134 appeared on the ballot, respectively. These numbers showed a decreasing trend over the previous four even-year elections in the number of legislative referrals, with an uptick in 2018. One factor in 2018 was the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), which convenes every 20 years and that referred seven constitutional amendments to voters in 2018. Legislative and commission referrals constituted about 60% of all 167 measures certified to appear on state ballots in 2018. Sixty-eight citizen-initiated measures (constitutional amendments, state statutes, and five veto referendums) also appeared on 2018 ballots.

Of the 86 referrals:

• 69 were legislatively referred constitutional amendments;
• 6 were legislatively referred state statutes;
• 6 were bond issues;
• 4 were advisory questions in Washington; and
• 1 was an automatic ballot referral in Iowa.

Highlights:

• A total of 13 fewer referrals and automatic questions appeared on the ballot in 2020 than in 2018.
• In the 10 year period from 2010 through 2020, the most legislative referrals appeared on statewide ballots in 2010.

Number of referrals and ABQs
	2010	2012	2014	2016	2018	2020	Change from 2018
Totals:	134	125	118	86	92	86	-13

Readability

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2020

In 2020, Ballotpedia estimated the reading difficulty of ballot measures' titles and summaries using two formulas, the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). The formulas account for the number of syllables, words, and sentences in the ballot language, but not the difficulty or complexity of the ideas expressed in the ballot language.

The entire report can be viewed here: Ballot measure readability scores, 2020.

In 2020, the average Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for the ballot titles (ballot questions) of all 129 statewide 2020 ballot measures was 17 (first-year graduate school reading level). The average ballot title grade for all measures in a single state averaged together ranged from 10 in Rhode Island, Washington, and Wyoming to 32 in Virginia. The 2020 ballot measure with the longest ballot title was Colorado Proposition 118 concerning a paid family and medical leave program. The ballot question had 270 words.

Bond and tax issues on the ballot

See also: Analysis of bond and tax issue approval on statewide ballots

Below is a summary of the bond and tax issues that appeared on the 2020 statewide ballots:

Bond issues

Bonds in 2020
Total bond measures:	7
Approved:	6
Defeated:	1

The following are statistics of bond issues that were on the ballot in 2020.

The following chart shows the total amount of potential authorized bonds that were on the ballot in 2020 and how much money was approved versus how much was defeated.

The seven bond issues came from three states: California, Maine, and New Mexico. Two bond issues were on the ballot in California: Proposition 13 to authorize $15 billion in bonds for school and college facilities was defeated and Proposition 14 to authorize $5.5 billion in bonds for stem cell research was approved. Two bond issues in Maine (totaling $120 million) and three bond issues in New Mexico (totaling $199 million) were approved. The bond issues proposed a total of $20.82 billion in new debt. All of the bond issues were referred to the ballot by the state legislatures except for California Proposition 13.

Total amount on 2020 ballot	Approved total amount	Defeated total amount
$20,819,300,000	$5,819,300,000	$15,000,000,000

Following are summaries of the bond issues on the ballot in 2020:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
BI	California Proposition 13	Bonds	Issues $15 billion in bonds for school and college facilities	d
CISS	California Proposition 14	Bonds	Issues $5.5 billion in bonds for state stem cell research institute	a
BI	Maine Question 1	Bonds	Authorizes $15 million in bonds for high-speed internet infrastructure	a
BI	Maine Question 2	Bonds	Authorizes $105 million in bonds for transportation infrastructure projects	a
BI	New Mexico Bond Question A	Bond issues	Issues $33.3 million in bonds for senior citizen facility improvements	a
BI	New Mexico Bond Question B	Bond issues	Issues $9.7 million in bonds for public libraries	a
BI	New Mexico Bond Question C	Bond issues	Issues $156.3 million in bonds for public higher education institutions, special public schools, and tribal schools	a

Tax measures

Voters in 14 states voted on 21 ballot measures addressing tax-related policies. Seventeen of the measures were approved and four were defeated.

In addition to the binding ballot measures, there were four nonbinding advisory vote questions on the ballot in Washington that asked voters whether the legislature should maintain or repeal tax bills they had passed in the 2020 legislative session. Voters voted in favor of advising the legislature to repeal all four of the bills.

Highlights:

• Eleven of the measures concerned property taxes, four measures concerned income taxes, two measures concerned a new and/or increased tax on tobacco and nicotine products, and one measure concerned renewing a sales tax.
• Voters in Colorado and Oregon approved measures increasing the sales tax on nicotine and tobacco products to fund various programs including those related to health and education.
• Voters in Illinois defeated the Graduated Income Tax Amendment, which was the third-most-expensive measure on the ballot in 2020. Supporters and opponents of the measure raised a combined $121 million.

The effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on 2020 ballot measures

See also: Changes to ballot measure campaigns, procedures, and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia tracked changes to ballot measure campaigns, procedures, and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020:

• At least 19 lawsuits were filed in 13 states seeking court orders suspending or changing signature requirements and deadlines.
• Ballotpedia has tracked 27 statewide initiative petition drives that suspended signature gathering.
• Seven states and D.C. changed ballot measure procedures through executive orders or legislative action.
• At least four initiative campaigns initially targeting 2020 reported they would shift their focus to 2022.

See also

• 2020 ballot measures
• Ballot measure readability scores, 2020
• Ballot measure signature costs, 2020
• Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
• Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2020
• Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2020
• List of ballot measure lawsuits in 2020
• 2020 ballot measure polls
• 2020 ballot measure media endorsements