2005 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 2005.
In the United States, a ballot measure is a law, issue, or question that appears on a statewide or local ballot for voters of that jurisdiction to decide.
- HBM Factbooks
- List of ballot measures by state
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Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks
The inventory of statewide ballot measures is part of Ballotpedia's Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks, which document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and voters on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they've covered, and the role they have played in our civic life. Click here to access the state historical ballot measure factbooks.
List of ballot measures by state
Arkansas
See also: Arkansas 2005 ballot measures
December 13
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referred Question 1 | Transportation; Bond issues | The measure would have allowed the Arkansas Highway Commission to issue up to $575 million in bonds for interstate highway improvements. |  | 45,048 (40%) | 68,695 (60%) | |
| Referred Question 2 | Bond issues; Higher education funding | The measure would have allowed the state to issue up to $250 million in bonds to finance the development of technology and facility improvement projects for state institutions of higher education. | | 56,837 (50%) | 57,574 (50%) |
California
See also: California 2005 ballot measures
November 8
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 73 | Abortion policy | Require notification of a parent or legal guardian of a pregnant minor at least 48 hours before performing an abortion | | 3,610,475 (47%) | 4,023,840 (53%) | |
| Proposition 74 | Public school teachers and staff | Extend the probationary period for newly hired teachers from two consecutive school years to five and change the process for dismissing permanent teachers who had received two unsatisfactory performance evaluations | | 3,516,071 (45%) | 4,329,025 (55%) | |
| Proposition 75 | Labor union deductions | Require obtaining written consent from employees before using union dues for political contributions | | 3,644,006 (47%) | 4,190,412 (53%) | |
| Proposition 76 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Limit state spending to the prior year's level plus three previous years’ average revenue growth, change state minimum funding for schools, and enact other budgetary changes | | 2,948,243 (38%) | 4,877,735 (62%) | |
| Proposition 77 | Redistricting policy | Transfer legislative and congressional redistricting from the state legislature to a panel of three retired judges | | 3,130,541 (40%) | 4,641,633 (60%) | |
| Proposition 78 | Healthcare | Establish a state drug discount program to reduce prices for prescription drugs for Californians with an income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level | | 3,199,193 (42%) | 4,508,873 (58%) | |
| Proposition 79 | Healthcare | Establish a state drug discount program to reduce prices for prescription drugs for Californians with an income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level | | 3,003,912 (39%) | 4,625,132 (61%) | |
| Proposition 80 | Business regulations; Energy | Place electric service providers under the regulation of the Public Utilities Commission, require public and private electric service providers to increase renewable energy resource procurement by at least 1% each year, with 20% of retail sales procured from renewable energy by 2010 | | 2,580,536 (34%) | 4,920,679 (66%) |
Colorado
See also: Colorado 2005 ballot measures
November 1
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referendum C | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Allow the state to spend more than its spending limitation for healthcare, education, transportation, and emergency personnel pensions. |
| 600,222 (52%) | 552,662 (48%) | |
| Referendum D | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Bond issues | Allow the state to borrow up to $2.072 billion for transportation, education, and pensions. | | 567,540 (49%) | 581,751 (51%) |
Kansas
See also: Kansas 2005 ballot measures
April 5
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | LGBTQ issues; Family-related policy | Defined marriage as "a civil contract between one man and one woman only," and stated that "any other marriage is contrary to public policy and void," and prohibited the state from recognizing any other legal relationship that would "entitle the parties in the relationship to the rights or incidents of marriage." |
| 417,675 (70%) | 179,432 (30%) |
Maine
See also: Maine 2005 ballot measures
November 8
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | LGBTQ issues | Veto the 2005 law that would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, or public accommodations based on a person's sexual orientation | | 181,926 (45%) | 223,274 (55%) | |
| Question 2 | Transportation; Bond issues | Issue $33.1 million in bonds to fund transportation projects |
| 270,486 (67%) | 130,352 (33%) | |
| Question 3 | Higher education funding; Sewage and stormwater; Drinking water systems; Bond issues | Issue a bond of $8.9 million to fund environmental and agricultural products |
| 228,970 (58%) | 167,424 (42%) | |
| Question 4 | Bond issues | Permit a $20 million bond issue to fund medical and marine research, equity investments in small Maine companies, and renovations and improvements of some campuses and community centers |
| 232,563 (58%) | 165,607 (42%) | |
| Question 5 | Parks, land, and natural area conservation; Bond issues | Allow an issue of $12 million in bonds to purchase land and conservation easements for environmental protection, outdoor recreation, and preservation efforts |
| 259,475 (65%) | 140,469 (35%) | |
| Question 6 | Bond issues; Higher education funding | Issue $9 million in bonds to fund renovation of higher education facilities | | 193,077 (50%) | 195,939 (50%) | |
| Question 7 | Property; Fisheries and fishing regulations; Property taxes | Allow the Legislature to permit tax assessments for waterfront land used in commercial fishing similar to the assessed of farms and forestland |
| 276,116 (72%) | 109,508 (28%) |
New Jersey
See also: New Jersey 2005 ballot measures
November 8
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | State executive elections |
| 836,134 (56%) | 655,333 (44%) | |
| Question 2 | Environment; State and local government budgets, spending, and finance |
| 814,606 (56%) | 634,269 (44%) |
New York
See also: New York 2005 ballot measures
November 8
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Revise the state budget process by establishing contingency budgets and spending limits, authorizing multi‑appropriation bills and a fiscal stabilization reserve fund, requiring public budget estimates, and shortening the veto‑change period. | | 734,844 (35%) | 1,368,120 (65%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Bond issues; Public transportation | Authorize a $2.9 billion transportation bond to rebuild and improve the state’s roads, bridges, transit systems, airports, waterways and related infrastructure. |
| 1,215,769 (56%) | 959,734 (44%) |
Ohio
See also: Ohio 2005 ballot measures
November 8
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue 1 | Bond issues | Allow the state to issue multiple general obligation bonds for a combined $2.0 billion |
| 1,512,669 (54%) | 1,282,571 (46%) | |
| Issue 3 | Campaign finance | Establish revised limits on political contributions, outline prohibited political contributions, and require public disclosure of campaign expenditures | | 955,334 (33%) | 1,927,502 (67%) | |
| Issue 4 | Redistricting policy | Establish a state redistricting commission to create legislative districts | | 871,898 (30%) | 2,005,952 (70%) | |
| Issue No. 2 | Absentee and mail voting | Authorize absentee voting for all voters | | 1,065,109 (37%) | 1,840,658 (63%) | |
| Issue No. 5 | Election administration and governance | Establish a board of nine appointed members to administer statewide elections and oversee the county boards of elections | | 854,918 (30%) | 2,001,983 (70%) |
Oklahoma
See also: Oklahoma 2005 ballot measures
September 13
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Question 723 | Taxes; Transportation | Create a Bridge and Highway Trust Fund, funded by capped fuel taxes, for highway and bridge projects. | | 51,312 (13%) | 349,927 (87%) |
Pennsylvania
See also: Pennsylvania 2005 ballot measures
May 17
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environment, Open Space, and Mine Remediation Bond Measure | Bond issues; Environment | issue $625 million in bonds for environmental projects |
| 725,308 (61%) | 472,290 (39%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 2005 ballot measures
November 8
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Transportation | Establish Texas rail fund for relocation and improvements using state revenue and debt. |
| 1,112,718 (54%) | 956,350 (46%) | |
| Proposition 2 | LGBTQ issues; Family-related policy | Define marriage as solely between one man and one woman and prohibit the establishment or recognition of similar legal statuses. |
| 1,723,782 (76%) | 536,913 (24%) | |
| Proposition 3 | Public economic investment policy | Ensure that local economic development program loans or grants not secured by ad valorem taxes or financed by bonds do not constitute debt. |
| 1,025,173 (52%) | 952,998 (48%) | |
| Proposition 4 | Bail policy | Allow denial of bail to a criminal defendant who breaches safety-related release conditions. |
| 1,813,290 (85%) | 322,168 (15%) | |
| Proposition 5 | Business regulations | Authorize the legislature to exempt commercial loans from state usury laws, establishing maximum interest rates. | | 880,379 (43%) | 1,147,628 (57%) | |
| Proposition 6 | State judiciary oversight | Expand the State Commission on Judicial Conduct from 11 to 13 members, adding one public member and one constitutional county court judge. |
| 1,246,127 (63%) | 744,585 (37%) | |
| Proposition 7 | Business regulations | Authorize line-of-credit advances under reverse mortgages for senior homeowners. |
| 1,201,740 (60%) | 809,839 (40%) | |
| Proposition 8 | Property | Clear individual land titles by releasing all claims of state ownership interests Upshur and Smith counties. |
| 1,153,241 (61%) | 729,392 (39%) | |
| Proposition 8 | Local official term limits | Authorize staggered six-year terms for regional mobility authority board members, appointing no more than one-third of positions every two years. | | 913,358 (47%) | 1,043,525 (53%) |
Washington
See also: Washington 2005 ballot measures
November 8
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiative 330 | Tort law | Limit non-economic damages and attorney fees in medical malpractice cases to $350,000. | | 783,435 (43%) | 1,027,117 (57%) | |
| Initiative 336 | Private health insurance; Public health insurance; Tort law | Establish a supplemental malpractice insurance program and limit expert witnesses in lawsuits. | | 711,443 (40%) | 1,076,918 (60%) | |
| Initiative 900 | Ethics rules and commissions | Require the State Auditor to conduct performance audits of state and local governments. |
| 994,757 (56%) | 767,844 (44%) | |
| Initiative 901 | Smoking bans; Tobacco laws | Prohibit smoking in buildings and vehicles open to the public and places of employment. |
| 1,153,353 (63%) | 670,225 (37%) | |
| Initiative 912 | Fuel taxes | Repeal motor vehicle fuel tax increases of 3 cents in 2005 and 2006, 2 cents in 2007, and 1.5 cents per gallon in 2008 | | 823,366 (45%) | 991,196 (55%) | |
| SJR 8207 | State judiciary structure; State judicial selection | Replace the term "district court judges" with "limited jurisdiction court judges" |
| 1,102,192 (68%) | 529,586 (32%) |
West Virginia
See also: West Virginia 2005 ballot measures
June 25
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Bond issues | | 75,065 (46%) | 87,883 (54%) |
Wisconsin
See also: Wisconsin 2005 ballot measures
April 5
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Local government officials and elections | Provide that certain county officials be elected to four-year terms |
| 534,742 (75%) | 177,037 (25%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
Footnotes
