Initiative states compared by number of initiatives on their ballot

Ballot Basics

Amendments
Citizen initiatives Indirect initiative Legislative referrals Convention referrals
Statutes
Citizen initiatives Indirect initiative Legislative referrals
Advisory question
Automatic ballot referral
Bond issue
Combined
Commission referred
Recall
Veto referendum

There are 26 states with citizen initiative processes at a statewide level, meaning they allow petitions signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters to put measures on the ballot. Citizen-initiated ballot measures can propose changes to statutes or state constitutions, or they can seek to repeal laws passed by the state legislature through veto referendums.

HIGHLIGHTS

Oregon was the first state to feature citizen-initiated measures on state ballots in 1904. As of 2023, Oregon state ballots have featured 448 initiatives and veto referendums, which is the highest amount for states that allow the processes.

Since 1980, one initiative has appeared on Illinois ballots. Illinois allows one type of initiative: initiated constitutional amendments.

The sortable table below details the number of initiatives that have appeared on state ballots since each state adopted the process:

State	Initiatives through 2024	The year an initiative was first featured on ballots
Oregon	448	1904
California	444	1912
North Dakota	275	1918
Colorado	273	1912
Washington	230	1914
Arizona	219	1912
Arkansas	138	1912
South Dakota	133	1908
Massachusetts	129	1920
Missouri	125	1910
Oklahoma	112	1908
Maine	102	1911
Montana	102	1912
Ohio	99	1913
Michigan	92	1914
Nebraska	77	1914
Nevada	70	1918
Alaska	62	1960
Florida	44	1976
Idaho	41	1938
Utah	27	1952
Maryland	18	1938
Mississippi	7	1995
Wyoming	7	1968
New Mexico	3	1995
Illinois	1	1980

Information source: John Matsusaka, Initiative & Referendum Institute

External resources

v • e Statewide ballot measures

State	A • Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • C • California • Colorado • Connecticut • F • Florida • G • Georgia • H • Hawaii • I • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • K • Kansas • Kentucky • L • Louisiana • M • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • N • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • O • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • P • Pennsylvania • R • Rhode Island • S • South Carolina • South Dakota • T • Tennessee • Texas • U • Utah • V • Vermont • Virginia • W • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

By topic	A • Abortion • Admin of gov't • Affirmative action • Alcohol • Animal rights • Assisted death • B • Bonds • Budgets • Business regulation • C • Campaigns • Civil rights • Constitutional conventions • Constitutional language • County government • D • Daylight Saving Time • Death penalty • Direct democracy • E • Earthquakes • Education • Elections • Eminent domain • English • Environment • Executives • F • Federal constitutional issues • Firearms • G • Gambling • Government accountability • H • Healthcare • Housing • Hunting • I • Immigration • Insurance • J • State judiciary • L • LGBT • Labor • Law enforcement • Legislatures • M • Marijuana • Marriage • Minimum wage • Mottos • Municipal government • N • Natural resources • P • Pensions • Property • Public finance • R • Recall • Redistricting • Race and ethnicity • Religion • Rules about Sunday • S • Salaries of elected officials • Smoking bans • State budgets • State executives • State judiciary • State legislatures • Stem cells • Supermajority requirements • Sundays • T • Taxes • Tobacco • Transportation • U • Unions • Utilities • V • Veterans • W • Wages • War and peace • Water • Welfare

By type	Advisory vote • Automatic referral • Bond measure • Commission referral • Constitutional amendment (by initiative) • Constitutional amendment (referred by legislature) • Grand Jury Panels • State statute (by initiative) • State statute (referred by legislature) • Veto referendum Forms of direct democracy in the American states

By year	2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000 • 1999 • 1998 • 1997 • 1996 • 1995 • 1994 • 1993 • 1992 • 1991 • 1990 • 1989 • 1988 • 1987 • 1986 • 1985 • 1984 • 1983 • 1982 • 1981 • 1980 • 1979 • 1978 • 1977 • 1976 • 1975 • 1974 • 1973 • 1972 • 1971 • 1970 • 1969 • 1968 • 1967 • 1966 • 1965 • 1964 • 1963 • 1962 • 1961 • 1960 • 1959 • 1958 • 1957 • 1956 • 1955 • 1954 • 1953 • 1952 • 1951 • 1950 • 1949 • 1948 • 1947 • 1946 • 1945 • 1944 • 1943 • 1942 • 1941 • 1940 • 1939 • 1938 • 1937 • 1936 • 1935 • 1934 • 1933 • 1932 • 1931 • 1930 • 1929 • 1928 • 1927 • 1926 • 1925 • 1924 • 1923 • 1922 • 1921 • 1920 • 1919 • 1918 • 1917 • 1916 • 1915 • 1914 • 1913 • 1912 • 1911 • 1910 • 1909 • 1908 • 1907 • 1906 • 1905 • 1904 • 1903 • 1902 • 1901 • 1900

Other	State Ballot Measure Monthly reports • Features of official voter guides • Ballot measures cost per required signatures analysis • 2025 ballot measure campaign finance • 2025 ballot language readability analysis

v • e Types of ballot measures

Initiatives	Initiated constitutional amendment • Indirect initiated constitutional amendment • Initiated state statute • Indirect initiated state statute • Combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute • Veto referendum • Statute affirmation (Nevada)

Referrals	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment • Legislatively referred state statute • Legislatively referred bond issue • Advisory question

Other	Automatic ballot referral • Commission-referred ballot measure • Convention-referred amendment

Local	Types of local ballot measures

Initiative states compared by number of initiatives on their ballot

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