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State Ballot Measure Monthly: January 2021
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By Ballot Measures Project staff
This first 2021 edition of the State Ballot Measure Monthly covers all nine of the 2021 and 2022 statewide ballot measure certifications so far. It also highlights year-end analyses of 2020 statewide ballot measures, California local measures, and local measures in the top 100 largest cities in the U.S.
- the 129 statewide measures,
- the 719 local measures in California, and
- the 314 local measures in the top 100 largest cities in the U.S.
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Number of certifications in past years
Odd-numbered years:
- 2019: By the second week in January, one measure had been certified for the 2019 ballot.
- Ultimately, 36 measures were certified in 2019.
- 2017: By the second week in January, four measures had been certified for the 2017 ballot.
- Ultimately, 27 were certified in 2017, which set a seven-decade record for the lowest number of statewide measures certified for an odd-numbered year ballot.
- 2015: By the second week in January, three measures had been certified for the 2015 ballot.
- Ultimately, there were 28 statewide measures certified for 2015 ballots.
- 2013: By the second week in January, zero measures had been certified for the 2013 ballot.
- Ultimately, there were 31 statewide measures certified for 2013 ballots.
- 2011: By the second week in January, four measures had been certified for the 2011 ballot.
- Ultimately, there were 34 statewide measures certified for 2011 ballot.
Even-numbered years:
- The average number of measures certified for the next even-year election cycle by this point from 2011 through 2019 was five.
- The average total number of statewide measures ultimately certified for even-numbered years from 2010 through 2020 was 172.
2021 certifications
Through Jan. 17, the following measures have been certified for 2021 election ballots on the dates listed. This list includes all certifications that have happened for the 2021 election cycle so far.
June 30, 2020:
- Colorado Transportation Bond Issue (2021) - This measure would authorize $1.337 billion in bonds to fund statewide transportation projects with a maximum repayment cost of $1.865 billion over 20 years. The measure was initially proposed for the November 2019 ballot. The legislature passed and Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a bill in May 2019 to delay the bond measure to the 2020 ballot. On June 30, 2020, Gov. Polis signed House Bill 20-1376, which reduced the bond amount and delayed the election date from 2020 to 2021.
Dec. 18, 2020:
- Rhode Island 2021 ballot measures - The Rhode Island Legislature referred seven bond questions totaling $400 million to the March 2 ballot as part of the state budget:
- Question 1 would authorize $107.3 million in bonds for the University of Rhode Island Fine Arts Center, the Rhode Island College Clarke Science Building, and the Community College of Rhode Island.
- Question 2 would authorize $74 million in bonds for state beaches, parks, recreational facilities, and water projects.
- Question 3 would authorize $65 million in bonds for building and renovating public housing projects.
- Question 4 would authorize $71.7 million in bonds for transportation infrastructure.
- Question 5 would authorize $15 million in bonds for the Early Childhood Care and Education Capital Fund.
- Question 6 would authorize $7 million in bonds for the Cultural Arts and the Economy Grant Program and the State Preservation Grants Program.
- Question 7 would authorize $60 million in bonds to fund improvements to industrial facilities infrastructure.
2022 certifications
Through Jan. 17, one measure has been certified for 2022 ballots in California.
July 21, 2020:
- California Changes to Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Cap Initiative (2022) - This initiative would increase California's $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits based on changes in inflation since 1975 and allow judges and juries to award damages above the cap for catastrophic injuries. On July 21, the office of Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) certified the measure for the ballot. Proponents needed 623,212 valid signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot.
Context from past years
States that are likely to feature statewide measures in 2021
Four of the 26 states with a process for citizen-initiated measures provide for ballot initiatives or veto referendums in odd-numbered years: Colorado, Maine, Ohio, and Washington.
Legislatively referred measures can also go on the ballot in these states in 2021. Other states that frequently feature statewide measures referred to the ballot by the legislature in odd-numbered years include Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Year-end analyses
Analysis of statewide measures in 2020
A total of 129 statewide ballot measures were certified for the 2020 ballot in 34 states. Ninety-three (93) of the measures were approved, and 36 were defeated.
The average number of statewide measures on the ballot in even-numbered years between 2010 and 2018 was 172.
There were also three measures (one each) on the ballot in the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All three were approved.
Notable 2020 topics for statewide ballot measures included taxes, election policy, redistricting, gambling, marijuana, healthcare, and law enforcement.
Four states approved recreational marijuana legalization measures, and two states approved medical marijuana initiatives.
2020 statewide measures include the first-ever appearance of gig-economy policies on a statewide ballot, unique psilocybin mushroom use and drug-crime policy measures, wolf reintroduction, a veto referendum on cash bail, an affirmative action initiative, and state flag and state name change measures.
Eighteen measures were on the ballot in 14 states concerning election policy, including campaign finance, election dates, election systems, redistricting, suffrage, and term limits. Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 2. It made Alaska the first state to adopt top-four primaries for state elections. It also made Alaska the second state after Maine to enact ranked-choice voting for state elections.
Click here to read the year-end analysis of the 129 statewide measures in 2020.
Analysis of local measures in California in 2020
California voters decided 719 local ballot measures on seven different election dates in 2020.
- Voters approved 62.4% percent of local measures in 2020, 14 and 15 percentage points lower than the local ballot measure approval rates in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
- There were local ballot measures in every California county in 2020 but one. Los Angeles County had the most 2020 local ballot measures at 109. The median number of measures per county was nine.
- Bond and tax measures made up 70% of the local measures on the ballot in California.
- There were 190 local bond issues on ballots across California in 2020. Of that total, 182 (95.8%) were school bond issues.
- The approval rate for school bond measures in 2020 of 50.5% was the lowest in any even-numbered year since at least 2008. The average approval rate for school bond measures in even-numbered years from 2008 through 2018 was 83%.
Local school bond measures proposed $30.7 billion in new debt. Voters approved $18.7 billion and rejected $12.0 billion.
- Voters in two cities in California approved measures to enact ranked-choice voting for city elections.
- There were eight local measures concerning law enforcement policies, police oversight, police practices, or budgeting, not including tax measures designed to provide funding for law enforcement services. All eight measures were approved.
Click here to read the full year-end analysis of local California measures in 2020.
Analysis of local measures in the top 100 largest cities
In 2020, Ballotpedia covered local measures that appear on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. This includes citywide measures and countywide, special district, and school district measures on the ballot for a significant number of voters[1] within the largest cities.
There were 314 local measures in 26 different states and Washington, D.C., on the ballot for voters in the top 100 largest cities in the U.S.
- 252 measures (80.3%) were approved, and 62 (19.7%) were defeated.
- There were 109 measures (34.7%) in California.
- 174 measures (55.4%) proposed bond issues or taxes. 126 bond and tax measures were approved, and 48 were defeated.
- There were 92 local bond measures. The measures proposed a total of $32.16 billion in bond money. Voters approved 67 measures amounting to $25.567 billion. Voters rejected 25 measures amounting to $6.593 billion.
- Twenty-two measures (7.0%) concerned elections, campaigns, voting, and term limits.
- Twenty measures (6.4%) concerned law enforcement or police policies.
- Washington, D.C., became the fifth city to decriminalize psilocybin and the first city to decriminalize all entheogenic plants and fungi when voters approved Initiative 81 on Nov. 3.
Click here to read the full year-end analysis of local measures in the top 100 largest cities.
See also
- 2021 ballot measures
- 2022 ballot measures
- List of ballot measures by state
- List of ballot measures by year
- Ballot initiatives filed for the 2021 ballot
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2021
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2022
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2021
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2022
Related articles
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: Local measures that were on the ballot for an insignificant number (1%-5% depending on the city and state) of voters within one of the largest cities were not included.
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