State Ballot Measure Monthly: April 2017
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By Ballot Measures Project staff
Six ballot measures have been certified for 2017 statewide ballots in five states so far. Seventeen measures have been certified for 2018 ballots. In the last month, one statewide measure was certified for 2017 ballots, while eight were certified to go before voters in 2018.
There will likely be between 30 and 50 statewide ballot measures in 2017, based on previous odd-numbered year elections. From 1989 through 2015, the average number of certified measures was 45, but, in the last decade, the average decreased to 35. In 1999, the number of measures certified for statewide ballots in odd-numbered years peaked at 72.
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Ballot measure certifications March 10 through April 10
2017 measures
- See also: 2017 ballot measures
Six statewide ballot measures have been certified for the 2017 ballot in five states as of April 10, 2017. So far, 116 proposed initiatives have been filed with state officials targeting 2017 ballots. Of that total, 100 were filed in Washington. Between March 10 and April 10, the following measure was certified for 2017 ballots:
- This proposed amendment was put on the ballot by the West Virginia Legislature to authorize the state to issue and sell up to $1.6 billion in state bonds to fund highway, road, and bridge construction and improvements.
2015 comparison
- See also: 2015 ballot measures and Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2015
By early April of 2015, five measures had also been certified for statewide ballots. Ultimately, 28 measures—including five citizen initiatives—were certified for the ballot in 2015. By that same time, a total of 94 proposed citizen initiatives had been filed with state officials, 62 of those having been filed in Washington.
| Type of ballot measure | 2015 | 2013 | 2011 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislatively referred constitutional amendments | 16 | 17 | 21 | 20 |
| Initiatives | 5 | 3 | 10 | 6 |
| Veto referendums | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Legislatively referred state statutes | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Legislatively referred bond questions | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Automatic ballot referrals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Commission-referred ballot measures | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Advisory questions | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 28 | 31 | 34 | 32 |
2018 measures
- See also: 2018 ballot measures
Seventeen statewide ballot measures have been certified for the 2018 ballot in 12 states as of April 10, 2017. Over the last four even-numbered years, the average number of statewide measures on the ballot was 173. There will likely be between 155 and 190 ballot measures in 2018. Between March 10 and April 10, the following eight measures were certified for 2018 ballots:
- This proposed amendment was put on the ballot by the New Mexico Legislature to empower the legislature to pass certain types of court-related laws: laws that set the appeals process from probate courts and other inferior courts and laws that determine which cases originating in inferior courts and tribunals fall under the appellate jurisdiction of district courts.
- This amendment was put on the ballot by the New Mexico Legislature to create a seven-member ethics commission to investigate alleged misconduct by state officials, executive and legislative employees, candidates, lobbyists, and government contractors.
- This statute was put on the ballot by a citizen-initiated petition to provide automatic voter registration for eligible citizens when receiving certain services from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. As an indirectly initiated petition, the measure could have become law had the legislature and governor approved it after the completion of signature collection. However, the governor vetoed the measure, sending it to the ballot for a public vote.
- This statute was put on the ballot by a citizen-initiated petition to legalize the cultivation, use, and possession of medical marijuana. Signatures for this measure were originally certified in September 2016. However, a review of the ballot title and a lawsuit prevented the measure from being put on the ballot until the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled on the case on March 27, 2017.
- This legislatively referred constitutional amendment would allow school districts with a majority of enrolled students within a county to call for a referendum to levy a sales tax for educational funding. Revenues from the tax would be divided between school districts within the county.
- This legislatively referred constitutional amendment would add specific rights of crime victims, often collectively known as a Marsy's Law, to the Oklahoma Constitution. Similar legislation has been passed in several other states. Voters in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota approved citizen-initiated amendments in 2016.
- This amendment was put on the ballot by the Indiana Legislature to require the legislature to enact a balanced budget for each biennial budget period. Legislatively referred amendments in Indiana must be approved by a majority of members of both houses of the legislature over two legislative sessions, so this measure was approved first in 2015 and again in January 2017.
- This amendment was put on the ballot by the California Legislature to require that revenue from vehicle fees and taxes be used for transportation-related projects. The measure specifically includes the diesel fuel sales tax and a new Transportation Improvement Fee that are not required to be spent on transportation projects as of April 2017. This measure will be voted on in a June election.
2016 comparison
- See also: 2016 ballot measures and Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2016
By this time in April of 2015, 16 measures had been certified for 2016 ballots. In 2016, there was a total of 162 statewide measures on the ballot. By October of 2016, 165 measures were slated to appear on the ballot, but three of them were removed by court decisions between October and the November election.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Initiatives have been filed for 2018 ballots. Ballotpedia will report this number starting in August of 2017.
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