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GMOs among hot topics featured on 2014 ballots
September 4, 2014
Voters will be weighing in on some of the nation's most contentious topics during the November 4, 2014, elections. Decisions made at the ballot box will establish important precedents and set the tone for future elections, based on which measures are approved and defeated. For further analyses and information on 2014 ballot measures, see this report.
GMOs
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The issue of whether mandatory labeling should be required for foodstuffs containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been creating quite the buzz on ballots across the country during the past few election cycles, and 2014 is no different.
Two statewide measures addressing the mandatory labeling of GMOs have been proposed in as many years. Both were defeated at the polls by a margin of approximately three percent, but not before millions of dollars were spent on support and opposition campaigns. In 2012, Californians turned down Proposition 37 after $54.3 million was funneled into the measure. Washington voters defeated Initiative 522, which became the most expensive ballot measure in the state's history after more than $30 million was spent by both sides. For both measures, the opposition campaigns far outspent the supporting ones, as large companies like Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer and Pepsi Co spent millions opposing the measures.
GMOs have also been prominent fixtures on local ballots, in some cases attracting significant sums of money given the size and scope of the elections. This year, voters in Colorado and Oregon will decide whether GMO labeling should be mandated in their states. If one or both of these measures are approved, it will mark the first time voters have approved this issue statewide at the ballot box.
- Colorado Proposition 105: If approved by voters in November, Proposition 105 would require any "prepackaged, processed food or raw agricultural commodity that has been produced using genetic modification" to include the label: "Produced with genetic engineering." The law would be put into effect by January 1, 2016. The measure is sponsored by the group Colorado Right to Know.[1] Supporters reported submitting over 167,995 signatures on August 4, 2014, significantly more than the 86,105 required to put the initiative before voters.[2]
- Oregon Measure 92: Measure 92 is the second GMO labeling measure to go before Oregon voters in the past twelve years. In 2002, voters rejected Measure 27 by a wide margin of 71 to 30 percent. The 2002 measure sought to require the labeling of foods derived or processed using genetically-engineered materials with a label prepared by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The current measure isn't much different in that it would require "the labeling of raw and packaged foods produced entirely or partially by 'genetic engineering.'" The law would go into effect in January 2016 and would apply to retailers, suppliers and manufacturers.[3]
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