Few surprises in 2013 statewide ballot measure elections

November 6, 2013

By Brittany Clingen

31 ballot questions were certified for spots on 6 statewide ballots in 2013.

Historically, odd-numbered election years feature significantly less measures than even-numbered years. In 2011, 34 measures were on the ballots in nine different states. However, 2013 was an unusually low year, particularly for initiated state statutes, none of which were approved by voters.

Of the 31 measures on statewide ballots, 24 were approved, 4 were defeated and 3 of the advisory questions in Washington are undecided as of November 6, 2013. There were not too many surprises when the polls closed. All nine of the proposed constitutional amendments in Texas were approved, including the state's highly contested measure for 2013, Proposition 6. Now that it's been approved by voters, $2 billion will be removed from Texas' "Rainy Day Fund" and transferred to two funds that will serve as financing vehicles for water projects in the state.

Both of the initiatives on the ballot in Washington were defeated at the polls, including I-522, a measure that would have mandated the labeling of certain foods containing GMOs. This measure was watched nation-wide, as multiple other states are considering similar legislation. I-522 ultimately went the way of California's Proposition 37 in 2012: early polls showed strong support for both measures, but as millions of dollars were contributed to fuel relentless opposition campaigns, support faltered, and both measures were ultimately defeated.

Another high-profile measure that was defeated is Colorado's Amendment 66, which would have raised the income tax in order to raise money for public education spending. Colorado's second tax measure, Proposition AA was overwhelmingly approved by voters, triggering sales and excise taxes to be placed on recreational marijuana sold in the state. In 2012, voters approved Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana in Colorado.

November 5, 2013 proved to be a big night for supporters of increasing the minimum wage. New Jersey voters approved Public Question 2, which will raise the state's minimum wage by $1, from $7.25 to $8.25 and implement automatic increases each year based on the Consumer Price Index. Ten other states are either considering putting minimum wage on the ballot or are already in the process of doing so. For these states, New Jersey's Public Question 2 was a referendum of sorts on voters' feelings on the subject. Also on November 5, a local ballot measure in Washington state increased the minimum wage to $15 in the city of SeaTac.

Overview pages

Tuesday Count and 2013 Scorecard

Number of measures • Measures of note

November 5

Colorado • Maine • New Jersey • New York • Texas • Washington

Admin. of gov't • Bond issues • Budgets • Business regulation • Civil service • County governance • Direct democracy • Education • Food & agriculture • Forests & parks • Gambling • Healthcare • Housing • Marijuana • Minimum wage • State judiciary • Taxes • Transportation • Veterans

Potential measures • Filed Initiatives

Polls 2013 local measures

Media endorsements Advocacy websites

Lawsuits Official voter guides

Measures not on the ballot Election results

Statistical summary

The charts below include all statewide election results from the November 5, 2013 elections:

2013 election stats
Total	Approved (%)	Defeated (%)	Undecided (%)
31	24 (77.4%)	4 (12.9%)	3 (9.7%)

Initiated measures

Initiatives	Amendments	Statutes	Approved	Rejected
3	1	2	0	3

Legislative and other referrals

Referrals	Amendments	Statutes	Approved	Rejected
23	17	6	22	1

Advisory questions

Questions	Approved	Rejected
5	2	0

November 6

• See 2013 Ballot Measure Scorecard

By state

Colorado

Colorado 2013 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRSS	Proposition AA	Taxes/Marijuana	Impose a 15% excise tax and a 10% sales tax on all marijuana sales in the state	a
CICA	Amendment 66	Taxes	Raise additional taxes for funding public schools, and implement the new School Finance Act (SB 213)	d

Maine

Maine 2013 ballot measures

November 5, 2013:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRSS	Question 1	Bond issues	$14,000,000 bond for maintenance and improvement projects for Maine Army National Guard readiness centers	a
LRSS	Question 2	Bond issues	$15,500,000 bond to update and improve University of Maine system facilities	a
LRSS	Question 3	Bond issues	$100,000,000 transportation bond to match an estimated to match an estimated $154,000,000 in federal and other funds	a
LRSS	Question 4	Bond issues	$4,500,000 bond for a public-private partnership for a new science facility at the Maine Maritime Academy	a
LRSS	Question 5	Bond issues	$15,500,000 bond to upgrade buildings in the Maine Community College system	a

New Jersey

New Jersey 2013 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Public Question 1	Veterans	Allows veterans' organizations to use money collected from existing games of chance to support their organizations	a
LRCA	Public Question 2	Minimum wage	Increases the state minimum wage	a

New York

New York 2013 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposal 1	Gambling	Allows casino gambling statewide	a
LRCA	Proposal 2	Veterans	Gives veterans with combat-related disabilities extra points when competing for civil service promotions	a
LRCA	Proposal 3	Budgets	Allows municipalities to continue exceeding their debt limits for sewage facilities	a
LRCA	Proposal 4	Forests and parks	Attempts to solve a dispute with private landowners over property in the Adirondack forest preserve	a
LRCA	Proposal 5	Forests and parks	Allows a land exchange involving the Adirondack forest preserve with NYCO Minerals	a
LRCA	Proposal 6	State judiciary	Raises the mandatory judicial retirement age in the state to 80	d

Texas

Texas 2013 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposition 1	Taxes	Property tax exemption on residence for surviving spouse of armed services member killed in action	a
LRCA	Proposition 2	Admin. of gov't	Elimination of an obsolete requirement for a State Medical Education Board and a State Medical Education Fund	a
LRCA	Proposition 3	Taxes	Increase in number of days that aircraft parts may be located in the state and be exempt from taxation	a
LRCA	Proposition 4	Taxes	Property tax exemption for partially disabled veterans on their residence under certain conditions	a
LRCA	Proposition 5	Housing	Rules and regulations governing reverse mortgage loans	a
LRCA	Proposition 6	Budgets	Transfer funds from Rainy Day Fund to water projects	a
LRCA	Proposition 7	County governance	Rules governing how to fill vacancies on governing bodies of home-rule municipalities	a
LRCA	Proposition 8	Healthcare	Eliminate the state constitutional provision that authorizes a hospital district in Hidalgo County	a
LRCA	Proposition 9	State judiciary	Expansion of types of sanctions against state court judges after disciplinary proceedings	a

Washington

Washington 2013 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ITL	Initiative 517	Direct democracy	Penalties for harassing petition organizers, limit pre-election litigation, extend signature gathering time	d
ITL	Initiative 522	Business regulation	Requires labels on food offered for sale if food is made with genetic material changed	d
AQ	Advisory Vote 3	Taxes	Eliminates a leasehold excise tax credit for taxpayers who lease publicly-owned property	a
AQ	Advisory Vote 4	Taxes	Imposes an aircraft excise tax on commuter air carriers	a
AQ	Advisory Vote 5	Taxes	Extends the insurance premium tax to some insurance for pediatric oral services	d
AQ	Advisory Vote 6	Taxes	Eliminates a retail sales tax exemption for certain telephone and telecommunications services	d
AQ	Advisory Vote 7	Taxes	Extends estate tax on certain property transfers and increased rates for estates over $4,000,000	a

See also

• Potential 2013 ballot measures
• Polls, 2013 ballot measures
• 2013 ballot measure calendar
• Ballot measure petition deadlines and requirements, 2013
• 2013 ballot measure endorsements