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State Ballot Measure Monthly: July 2022
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By Ballot Measures Project staff
This edition of the State Ballot Measure Monthly covers the certifications of 2022 ballot measures and notable ballot measure news from June 16 through July 15.
Overview: Nationally, 112 ballot measures have been certified in 35 states.
Measures removed from the ballot: In California, Nevada, and South Dakota, four initiatives were withdrawn after qualifying for the ballot.
Status of indirect initiatives: In Alaska, one indirect initiative, the State Recognition of American Indian Tribes Initiative, was certified to the legislature. Legislators passed the initiative, which now requires the governor's signature to become law. If the governor does not sign the bill, the initiative will appear on the ballot.
Changes in 2022 ballot measure numbers
- See also: Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2022
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Comparison to earlier years
From 2010 through 2020, an average of 136 ballot measures were certified for even-numbered year ballots in mid-July of the election year. An average of 164 total ballot measures were certified for even-numbered year ballots from 2010 through 2020.
2022 certifications
- See also: Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2022
June 20
- California Proposition 29, Dialysis Clinic Requirements Initiative: After dialysis-related initiatives were defeated in 2018 and 2020, the SEIU-UHW West proposed Proposition 29, which would require dialysis clinics to have physicians or nurse practitioners on-site, report infection data to the state, and receive consent from the state to close clinics. DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care, the state's two largest dialysis businesses, oppose Proposition 29.
June 22
- Arizona Property Tax Exemptions Amendment: The amendment would consolidate the constitution's various property tax exemption provisions into a single section. The amendment would also allow the legislature to determine amounts and qualifications for certain exemptions, including those for widows and widowers, people with total and permanent disabilities, disabled veterans, and trade, business, or agricultural properties.
June 23
- Arizona 60% Vote Requirement for Ballot Measures to Approve Taxes Amendment: The amendment would require a 60% vote to pass ballot measures to approve taxes. A simple majority vote is required to approve ballot measures in Arizona.
- Arizona Lieutenant Governor Amendment: The amendment would create the position of lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor would be elected on a joint ticket with the governor, and would succeed the governor in case of a vacancy. Arizona is one of five states without a lieutenant governor.
- Arizona Sales Tax for Fire District Funding Measure: The measure would create a 0.1% sales tax for 20 years to provide state funding for fire districts. In Arizona, a fire district is a special taxing district with an elected board that hires employees and purchases equipment, land, and buildings to provide fire protection-related and paramedic services.
June 27
- California Proposition 1, Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment: The amendment would prohibit the state from interfering with or denying an individual's right to reproductive freedom, which would be defined to include a right to an abortion and a right to contraceptives. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Senate President Toni Atkins (D-39), and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-63) called for the amendment on May 2, 2022, after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization draft opinion was leaked.[3]
- California Proposition 27, Legalize Sports Betting and Revenue for Homelessness Prevention Fund Initiative: The initiative is the second sports betting initiative certified in California for 2022. The proposal would legalize online and mobile sports betting, enact a 10% tax on sports betting revenues and licensing fees, and allocate tax revenue to a homelessness programs account and an account for tribes not operating sports betting. BetMGM, FanDuel Sportsbook, and DraftKings are backing Proposition 27.
June 28
- Removed - Nevada Gaming Tax Increase on Monthly Revenue above $250,000 Initiative and Nevada Sales Tax Increase for Public Schools Initiative: The Clark County Education Association sponsored both of the initiatives, which were certified for the ballot. After legislators passed a bill to increase the mining tax and dedicate revenue to education, proponents tried to withdraw the initiatives. Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske (R) did not remove the initiatives, however, stating that the Nevada Constitution did not provide for such a process. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that proponents could withdraw the two ballot initiatives.
- California Proposition 30, Tax on Income Above $2 Million for Zero-Emissions Vehicles and Wildfire Prevention Initiative: The initiative would enact a 1.75% tax on personal income above $2 million and dedicate the revenue to zero-emission vehicle subsidies; zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, such as electric vehicle charging stations; and wildfire suppression and prevention programs. Lyft, Inc. is the largest contributor to the campaign, Clean Air California, supporting the initiative.
June 30
- Removed - California Plastic Waste Reduction Regulations Initiative: Proponents withdrew the initiative after legislators approved Senate Bill 54, which requires 65% of all single-use plastic packaging to be recyclable by 2032. The initiative would have required the California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery (CalRecycle), in consultation with other agencies, to adopt regulations reducing the use of single-use plastic packaging and foodware.
July 5
- Oregon Exclusion from Re-election for Legislative Absenteeism Initiative: The initiative would prohibit a state legislator who misses 10 legislative floor sessions, without permission or excuse, from re-election. Hold Politicians Accountable, the campaign behind the initiative, cited recent legislative walkouts, stating, "But for the past several years, certain politicians in Salem have repeatedly walked off the job, refused to show up to work and shut down the legislature, stopping laws to fund our schools, provide wildfire relief, address climate change, prevent gun violence, and more."[4]
July 11
- Removed - South Dakota Initiated Measure 28, Medicaid Expansion Initiative: Dakotans for Health, the campaign behind Initiated Measure 28, withdrew the initiative. Rick Weiland, co-founder of Dakotans for Health, said the campaign joined South Dakotans Decide Healthcare to support Amendment D, which, like Initiated Measure 28, would expand Medicaid. Initiated Measure 28 was a statute, while Amendment D is a constitutional amendment. Weiland said, "After conversations with South Dakotans Decide Healthcare members, we have agreed that the best path forward to accomplishing this goal is to join efforts behind one campaign."[5] Initiated Measure 28 was the first initiative to ever be withdrawn after qualifying for the ballot in South Dakota. In 2009, the legislature passed a bill establishing the withdrawal process.[6]
Headlines
See also: 2022 abortion-related ballot measures and History of abortion ballot measures
There will be at least five abortion-related ballot measures in 2022, including the first two ballot measures to provide explicit state constitutional rights related to abortion. On June 27, the California State Legislature passed a constitutional amendment, bringing the total to five – the most on record for a single year. Before 2022, the highest number was four measures in 1986. Since 1970, voters have decided on 47 abortion-related ballot measures.
There are two additional ballot measures – one in Michigan, and one in Colorado – that could appear on the ballot this year. On July 11, signatures were filed for an initiative to add reproductive freedom, defined to include abortion among other reproduction-related matters, to the Michigan Constitution. In Colorado, where signatures are due on Aug. 8, a campaign is circulating petitions for an initiative to prohibit abortion.
There have been several citizen-initiated measures and legislative proposals that did not make the ballot this year. In Arizona, a campaign filed an initiated constitutional amendment to provide that “Every individual has a fundamental right to reproductive freedom.” The campaign launched on May 16, giving supporters 61 days to collect 356,467 valid signatures. Signatures were due on July 7, and the campaign reported gathering 175,000.
Of the five measures on the ballot, two are related to providing constitutional rights, two are related to how constitutional language can be interpreted regarding abortion, and one is related to practitioner requirements. The following are summaries of the certified ballot measures:
- California: Proposition 1 would provide that the state cannot "deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions," including decisions to have an abortion or to choose or refuse contraceptives. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Senate President Toni Atkins (D-39), and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-63) called for the amendment on May 2, 2022, after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization draft opinion was leaked.[3]
- Kansas: On the ballot for August 2, the measure would amend the Kansas Constitution to say that nothing in the state constitution creates a right to abortion or requires government funding for abortions. The amendment would also declare that the legislature has the power to pass laws regarding abortion. Sponsors introduced the amendment in response to the Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling in Hodes & Nauser v. Schmidt (2019), which held that the Kansas Bill of Rights provided a right to an abortion.
- Kentucky: Like the proposal in Kansas, the measure would amend the Kentucky Constitution to say that nothing in the state constitution creates a right to abortion or requires government funding for abortions. Unlike Kansas, there has not been a state supreme court ruling providing for a state constitutional right to abortion. On June 27, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and others sued to block the state from enforcing two statutes prohibiting or restricting abortion. Plaintiffs argue that the Kentucky Constitution “protects the right of a pregnant individual to access abortion.”
- Montana: LR-131 would provide in state law that infants born alive at any stage of development are legal persons. The ballot measure would also require medical care to be provided to infants born alive after an induced labor, cesarean section, attempted abortion, or another method.
- Vermont: Proposal 5 would amend the Vermont Constitution to provide that “an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course.” The process to get Proposal 5 on the ballot started in 2019. Eileen Sullivan, communications director for the Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund, said, "Justice [Anthony] Kennedy's retirement prompted action in Vermont, so that these rights in Vermont would be protected no matter what happens in Washington, D.C."[7]
The following graph shows the number of abortion-related ballot measures per year since 1970:
See also
- 2022 ballot measures
- Ballot initiatives filed for the 2022 ballot
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2022
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2022
- List of ballot measures by state
- List of ballot measures by year
Related articles
Footnotes
- ↑ This number includes citizen-initiated measures, legislative referrals, and automatic referrals.
- ↑ The number of filed initiated measures was current as of July 1, 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Office of California Governor, "Following Draft SCOTUS Opinion, Legislative Leaders and Governor Newsom Announce Constitutional Amendment to Enshrine the Right to Choose in California," May 2, 2022
- ↑ Hold Politicians Accountable, "Homepage," accessed July 14, 2022
- ↑ Mitchell Republic, "Dual Medicaid ballot initiatives join behind one constitutional amendment," July 12, 2022
- ↑ KELO, "IM 28 withdrawal was a moment in history," July 13, 2022
- ↑ Axios, "Fight for abortion rights moves to state ballots," April 24, 2022
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