Topics Information
Local ballot measures have influenced public policy issues, including taxation, education, and elections. Through initiatives and referendums, voters directly influence state laws and decisions.
Ballotpedia assigns each ballot measure to one or more topics based on its primary policy focus. For example, a single measure may be categorized under city governance, sales taxes, or school district bonds. Measures addressing multiple subjects are assigned several topics. Each topic page includes a list of current and historical local ballot measures.
All local ballot measure topics are categorized into eight overarching policy areas and 93 subtopics. This structure allows users to navigate the dataset in two ways:
This page lists local ballot measure topics. For information regarding state ballot measure topics, click here.
Policy group list
Our database of local ballot measures is organized into eight parent topics and 93 subtopics. Below, each topic expands to show a list of subtopics, covering areas such as government structure, taxes, budgets, elections, and more. Clicking on a topic will take you to a list of local ballot measures related to the topic.
Local budget and tax policy
Local government finances, budgets, taxes, and spending
This includes measures regarding local government finances, including taxes, budgets, spending, and funds.
Local bond issues:
Measures to authorize municipal-issued bonds that use general revenue (general obligation bond), such as tax revenue, or project revenues (revenue bond) to finance projects.
Local budget policy:
Measures regarding a local government's budget, spending, and fiscal management.
Local tax policy:
Measures to establish, change, or repeal local laws related to taxation.
- City tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a city tax.
- County tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a county tax.
- School district tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a school district tax.
- Special district tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a special district tax.
- Local business tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a tax on business income, revenue, or franchise.
- Local gas tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local excise tax on gasoline or diesel fuel.
- Local hotel tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local tax on short-term lodging.
- Local income tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local tax on a person's earnings.
- Local marijuana tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local excise tax on marijuana.
- Local parcel tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local tax levied on parcels of land.
- Local property tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local tax based on assessed property value.
- Local real estate transfer tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local tax on property transfers.
- Local sales and use tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local tax on goods and certain services.
- Local soda tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local excise tax on soda or sugar-sweetened beverages.
- Local tobacco tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local excise tax on tobacco.
- Local utility tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local tax on utility services.
- Local vehicle tax: Measures to authorize, change, or repeal a local tax on vehicles.
Local criminal justice and law enforcement policy
Local criminal justice system, legal disputes, law enforcement, and policing
This includes measures regarding the local criminal justice system, legal disputes, and policing.
Local drug regulations:
Measures regarding the legal classification and regulation of substances considered drugs.
- Local alcohol laws: Measures regarding the local regulation of alcohol, including its sale, consumption, taxation, and prohibition.
- Local marijuana policy: Measures regarding the local regulation of marijuana, including its sale, consumption, taxation, and prohibition.
- Local psychedelic substances: Measures regarding the local regulation of psychedelic substances, including their sale, consumption, taxation, and prohibition.
- Local tobacco policy: Measures regarding the local regulation of tobacco, including its sale, consumption, taxation, and prohibition.
Local policing:
Measures regarding police officer training, practices, equipment, and oversight.
Local election policy
Local election and voting policies, electoral systems, campaign finance, redistricting, and election administration
This includes measures regarding local election and voting processes, campaign finance, redistricting, and political office qualifications.
Local ballot measure process:
Measures regarding the local ballot measure process, including citizen-initiated measures and charter amendments.
Local recall process:
Measures regarding the local recall process for removing elected officials from office.
Local election administration and governance:
Measures regarding the rules, structures, and procedures for overseeing local elections, including election officials' responsibilities, elections departments, and vote counting.
Local electoral systems:
Measures regarding local electoral systems, which define how elections are conducted and how votes are counted to determine election outcomes.
Local campaign finance:
Measures regarding the funding of local political campaigns, including contribution limits, disclosure requirements, and public financing.
Local term limits:
Limits on the number of terms that local government officials, such as mayors or sheriffs, can serve.
Local voter ID policy:
Measures to establish or change local requirements for voters to present specific forms of identification before casting a ballot.
Local voting age:
Measures regarding the minimum age required for people to vote in local elections.
Local environment and energy policy
Local environmental regulations, natural resource management, and energy production
This includes measures regarding local environmental regulations, natural resource management, and energy production.
Local energy policy:
Measures regarding local energy production, regulation, and distribution, as well as the funding of energy-related projects.
- Local energy aggregation: Measures regarding a local government's authority to negotiate and choose an energy supplier to provide power for residents and businesses.
- Local energy franchise: Measures regarding contracts between local governments and private utilities that grant companies the right to construct, operate, or maintain energy infrastructure.
- Local oil and gas resources: Measures regarding the extraction, production, regulation, and use of oil and natural gas.
- Local public energy utility: Measures regarding establishing, changing, or eliminating publicly owned energy utilities.
- Local renewable energy: Measures regarding the development, funding, adoption, or regulation of renewable energy sources—such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower—at the local level.
Local governance policy
Structure, powers, and operations of local government institutions
This includes measures regarding the structure, powers, and operations of local government institutions.
Local government charters:
Measures to establish, amend, or repeal a local government's home rule charter, defining its structure, powers, and self-governing authority.
Local advisory questions:
Measures that are non-binding, meaning the outcome of the measures have no legal effect on a local government's laws.
Local flags and symbols:
Measures to establish, change, or replace official local emblems such as flags, names, seals, and mottos.
Local civil service and public employees:
Measures to establish or change the structure, policies, or administration of local civil service systems, such as hiring practices and public employee classifications.
Local infrastructure policy
Local public infrastructure, transportation, and housing policy
This includes measures regarding funding, regulations, and management of local infrastructure.
Local housing policy:
Measures regarding local housing policies, financial assistance, tax exemptions, and rental regulations.
Local transportation policy:
Measures regarding local transportation systems, including roads, railways, public transit, and pedestrian infrastructure.
Local labor and healthcare policy
Local government rules regarding labor unions, workplace regulations, and healthcare
This includes measures regarding labor unions, workplace regulations, and healthcare at the local level.
Local healthcare policy:
Measures regarding healthcare systems, services, funding, regulations, and public health policies.
Local minimum wage:
Measures regarding local minimum wages, such as increases, inflation adjustments, and exemptions.
Local paid sick leave:
Measures regarding local policies that require employers to provide paid sick leave to employees.
Local project labor agreement:
Measures regarding whether project labor agreements (PLAs) are required for public local government-funded construction projects.
Local social issue policy
Social and cultural issues, activities, and policies at the local level
This includes measures regarding social and cultural issues and activities at the local level.
Local LGBTQ issues:
Measures regarding local government legal classifications and legal rights for LGBTQ people.
Alphabetical list
This section lists local ballot measure topics in alphabetical order. Click a letter to jump to topics beginning with that letter, or browse the full list below.
Ballot Measure Topics
T
- Tax policy
- Tax, business
- Tax, city
- Tax, county
- Tax, gas
- Tax, hotel
- Tax, income
- Tax, marijuana
- Tax, parcel
- Tax, property
- Tax, real estate transfer
- Tax, sales and use
- Tax, school district
- Tax, soda
- Tax, special district
- Tax, tobacco
- Tax, utility
- Tax, vehicle
- Term limits
- Tobacco policy
- Transportation
See also
Ballot Measure Overview
Campaigns
- • Campaign finance
- • Endorsements
- • Polls
