Chart of 2016 ballot measure issues
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NOTE: All measures, including legislative referrals and citizen initiatives, are listed below. However, some measures may be listed more than once because they fell into more than one category. For a detailed number of measures and more information regarding the 2016 ballot, please visit the 2016 ballot measure article.
Taxes have been the most prevalent issue featured on the ballot since at least 2010, with the this trend continuing into 2016. However, the number of tax-related measures has fallen between 2010 and 2016, with 40 appearing on the ballot in 2010, 33 in 2012, 23 in 2014, and 27 in 2016. Of the 162 measures that appeared on the ballot in 2016, 27 or 17 percent of them addressed the issue of taxes. Twelve of the tax-related ballot measures were citizen initiatives, 11 were legislative referrals, and two were non-binding advisory questions.
Some of the most prominent tax-related ballot measures of 2016 included California Proposition 55, Maine Question 2, Oregon Measure 97, and Washington Initiative 732. California Proposition 55 was approved and extended an income tax on incomes over $250,000 to 2030. Maine Question 2 was approved and enacted an additional 3 percent surcharge on the portion of annual household income exceeding $200,000. Oregon Measure 97 was defeated. The measure would have removed the cap on the corporate gross sales tax and established a 2.5 percent tax on gross sales that exceed $25 million. Washington Initiative 732 would have established the first carbon tax in the nation, but was defeated at the ballot box.
Other prevalent issues in 2016 included bond issues, state and local government budgets, education, elections and campaigns, and marijuana. The number of marijuana-related ballot measures has increased in recent years, with the issue being one of the top five most prevalent in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, there were nine marijuana-related ballot measures, five to legalize recreational marijuana and four to legalize medical marijuana.
Issues by year
The following table illustrates the top five most prevalent ballot measure issue topics from 2010 through 2016.
| Year | Top issue #1 | Top issue #2 | Top issue #3 | Top issue #4 | Top issue #5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Taxes (40) | Administration of gov't (25) | Bond issues (21) | Elections (15) | Gov't budgets (15) |
| 2011 | Taxes (8) | Gov't budgets (6) | Administration of gov't (4) | Bond issues (3) | Gambling (3) and Healthcare (3) |
| 2012 | Taxes (33) | Administration of gov't (21) | Bond issues (19) | Education (13) | Judiciary (13) |
| 2013 | Bond issues (5) | Taxes (5) | Administration of gov't (3) | Education (3) | Veterans (3) |
| 2014 | Taxes (23) | Bond issues (19) | Education (18) | Healthcare (11) | Gov't budgets (10) and Judiciary (10) |
| 2015 | Taxes (10) | Transportation (6) | Marijuana (3) | Bond issues (2) | Gov't budgets (2), Education (2), and Property (2) |
| 2016 | Taxes (27) | Bond issues (15) | Gov't budgets (14) | Education (12) | Elections (9) and Marijuana (9) |
Issues on 2016 ballots
The following table illustrates the number of ballot measures by issue featured on 2016 ballots.
|
Legend 20 or more measures 10 to 20 measures 6 to 9 measures 2 to 5 measures 1 measure |
