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Ballotpedia:Analysis of the 2023 statewide ballot measures
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In 2023, voters in eight states decided on 41 statewide ballot measures—the highest number of state ballot measures for an odd-numbered year since 2007. Voters approved 33 (80.49%) and rejected eight (19.51%). The average number of statewide measures on the ballot in odd-numbered years from 2011 to 2021 was 33.
- Between March and October 2023, voters in four states decided on nine ballot measures. Voters approved seven and rejected two of these measures.
- 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.
Summary
- See also: 2023 ballot measures
The charts below include all statewide ballot measures on the ballot in 2023:
Results
The following were the number of state ballot measures approved and defeated:
| Date | Approved | Defeated |
|---|---|---|
| April 4 | 3 | 0 |
| March 7 | 0 | 1 |
| August 8 | 0 | 1 |
| October 14 | 4 | 0 |
| November 7 | 23 | 5 |
| November 18 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 33 | 8 |
| Total (Percentage) | 80.49% | 19.51% |
Citizen-initiated ballot measures
- See also: Ballot initiative
The following were the number of citizen-initiated ballot measures in 2023:
| Type | Total | Approved | Approved (%) | Defeated | Defeated (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiated state statute | 6 | 4 | 66.67% | 2 | 33.33% |
| Initiated constitutional amendment | 1 | 1 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 7 | 5 | 71.43% | 2 | 28.57% |
Legislatively referred ballot measures
- See also: Legislative referral
The following were the number of legislatively referred ballot measures in 2023:
| Type | Total | Approved | Approved (%) | Defeated | Defeated (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislatively referred constitutional amendment | 31 | 26 | 83.87% | 5 | 16.13% |
| Legislatively referred state statute | 2 | 1 | 50.00% | 1 | 50.00% |
| Advisory question | 1 | 1 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total legislative referrals | 34 | 28 | 82.35% | 6 | 17.65% |
Topics
Trends in 2023
- 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.
- 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.
Measures
The following chart shows the number of state ballot measures addressing various topics. A ballot measure can address more than one topic.
| Topic | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Abortion | 1 | 2.44% |
| Agriculture | 1 | 2.44% |
| American Indian Issues | 1 | 2.44% |
| Business Regulations | 1 | 2.44% |
| Constitutional Rights | 3 | 7.32% |
| Direct Democracy | 4 | 9.76% |
| Education | 3 | 7.32% |
| Elections | 3 | 7.32% |
| Energy | 3 | 7.32% |
| Government Finance | 12 | 29.27% |
| Housing | 1 | 2.44% |
| Judiciary | 1 | 2.44% |
| Law Enforcement | 2 | 4.88% |
| Legislature | 1 | 2.44% |
| Local Government | 2 | 4.88% |
| Marijuana | 2 | 4.88% |
| Parks | 2 | 4.88% |
| Pensions | 2 | 4.88% |
| Property | 5 | 12.20% |
| Religion | 1 | 2.44% |
| Taxes | 8 | 19.51% |
| Transportation | 1 | 2.44% |
| Utilities | 4 | 9.76% |
| Water | 1 | 2.44% |
| Welfare | 1 | 2.44% |
Comparison to prior years
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 | |
| Initiated constitutional amendments[1] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Initiated state statutes | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | |
| Veto referendums | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Referred ballot measures | 34 | 35 | 34 | 23 | 23 | 28 | 22 | |
| Legislative constitutional amendment | 31 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 21 | |
| Legislative state statute | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Commission-referred measure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Automatically referred measure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bond issues | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| Advisory question | 1 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total: | 41 | 39 | 36 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 34 |
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.
Citizen-initiated ballot measure activity
In 2023, there were seven citizen-initiated ballot measures. One was an initiated constitutional amendment, and six were initiated state statutes. Seven was above the average number, which was five, for odd-numbered years between 2011 and 2021. Seven was also the highest number since 2011, when there were 12 citizen-initiated ballot measures.
Initiatives filed
In 2023, 262 citizen-initiated ballot measures were filed for the ballot in four states. Most (221) were filed in Washington, although no initiatives appeared on the ballot in Washington.
From 2011 to 2023, the average number of proposed ballot initiatives was 175. In 2023, the number was 262—92 more than the average.
The percentage that qualified for the ballot in 2023 was 3.29%. From 2011 to 2023, the average percentage was 2.67%.
| 2011 | 2013 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 | 2023 | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed | 137 | 133 | 151 | 142 | 107 | 296 | 262 | 175 |
| Certified | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| Certified (%) | 8.76% | 2.26% | 3.31% | 2.82% | 1.87% | 1.35% | 2.67% | 3.29% |
Signature collection costs
- See also: Ballot measure signature costs, 2023
In 2023, there were seven citizen-initiated ballot measures. Campaigns collected signatures to place their proposed initiatives on the ballot. Ballotpedia published an analysis of signature-gathering costs, which is available here.
An aggregate $12.95 million was spent on signature drives for the seven initiatives. That's an average of $1.85 million per ballot initiative. The most expensive signature drive was for Ohio Issue 1 at $6.65 million. The least expensive was for Oklahoma State Question 820 at $75,341.
An additional method for measuring signature-drive costs is cost-per-required-signature (CPRS). CPRS is calculated as a campaign's total spending on signature gathering relative to the number of valid signatures required. This allows for more comparison across initiatives as states have different signature requirements. The average CPRS in 2023 was $9.38 per signature. In 2023, the initiative with the highest CPRS was for Ohio Issue 2 at $16.28 per signature. The lowest CPRS was for Oklahoma State Question 820 at $0.79 per signature. Both Ohio Issue 1 and Oklahoma State Question 820 were initiatives to legalize marijuana.
The following chart illustrates the average CPRS for each year from 2012 to 2023:
Constitutional amendment activity
There were 32 constitutional amendments on the ballot in 2023. One was a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment, and 31 were legislative referrals. Voters approved 27 (84.38%) and rejected five (15.63%). The one citizen-initiated constitutional amendment was Ohio Issue 1, which voters approved.
In 2023, the state with the most constitutional amendments on the ballot was Texas with 14.
The number of constitutional amendments in 2023 was the highest for an odd-numbered year since 2003, when 55 were on the ballot.
The following chart illustrates the number of constitutional amendments during odd-numbered years since 2007:
New state constitutional rights
Three of the constitutional amendments in 2023 concerned state constitutional rights. The following is a list of ballot measures that amended a state constitution’s Bill of Rights, often codified as Article I, or added explicit statements about rights to other sections of the constitution.
| State | Measure | Section | Desription |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | Amendment 2 | Article XII (General Provisions) | Provided 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" |
| Ohio | Issue 1 | Article I (Bill of Rights) | Provided a state constitutional right to "make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions," including decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and continuing pregnancy |
| Texas | Proposition 1 | Article I (Bill of Rights) | Provided a state constitutional right to farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture, and wildlife management |
Bond and tax ballot measure activity
There were no state general obligation bonds on the ballot in 2023—the first time since 2011. Between 2011 and 2023, the average number of bond measures on the ballot was three.
Eight of the ballot measures were related to taxes.
- Five addressed ad valorem (property) tax exemptions
- One addressed property tax rates
- One addressed wealth taxes
- One addressed revenue from tobacco taxes
Voters approved seven of eight measures. The one measure to be rejected was Colorado Proposition HH, which would have reduced property tax rates and allowed the state to retain revenue that would otherwise be refunded under the state's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).
Campaign contributions
- 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 |  |
| 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.
Ballot language readability
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2023
In 2023, 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 report is available here.
In 2023, the average grade-level score for ballot titles was 19, which is about a third-year graduate school reading level. The average grade-level score for titles between 2017 and 2022 was 18. The average grade-level score ranged from 12 in New York and Ohio to 35 in Colorado.
The ballot measure with the highest grade-level score was Colorado Proposition II at 43. The ballot measures with the lowest grade-level scores were New York Proposal 1 and Ohio Issue 1 at 11.
The following chart provides information on the average grade-level and word counts for state ballot measures since 2017.
See also
- 2023 ballot measures
- Ballot measure readability scores, 2023
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2023
- Ballot measure campaign finance, 2023
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2023
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2023
Footnotes
- ↑ This includes combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute measures.
