1896 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 1896.
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
- Other years
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
California
See also: California 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Taxes; Property | The measure would have exempted mortgages from taxation. |  | 63,620 (29%) | 158,093 (71%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Elections and campaigns | The measure authorized elections by ballot. |
| 121,773 (61%) | 78,886 (39%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Business regulations | The measure would have limited the liability of stockholders of corporations. | | 82,609 (43%) | 109,433 (57%) | |
| Amendment 4 | County and municipal governance | The measure related to laws for incorporated cities and towns. |
| 101,587 (58%) | 74,353 (42%) | |
| Amendment 5 | County and municipal governance; Elections and campaigns | The measure provided for the election of county officers in cities and towns. |
| 99,888 (57%) | 74,906 (43%) | |
| Amendment 6 | Sex and gender issues; Women's suffrage | Provides for women's suffrage in state constitution | | 110,355 (45%) | 137,099 (55%) | |
| Amendment 6 | Sex and gender issues; Women's suffrage | Provides for women's suffrage in state constitution | | 110,355 (45%) | 137,099 (55%) |
Colorado
See also: Colorado 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bond Limits Amendment | Bond issue requirements | Authorize the state to issue up to $300,000 in bonds to fund the construction of public buildings, furnish the state capitol, and provide for state defense | | 25,340 (39%) | 39,790 (61%) |
Florida
See also: Florida 1896 ballot measures
October 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justices of the Peace Amendment | State judiciary | Amend provisions relating to the authority of Justices of the Peace |
| 8,327 (95%) | 459 (5%) | |
| Legislative Proceedings Amendment | State legislatures measures | Amend provisions relating to legislative proceedings |
| 7,786 (92%) | 688 (8%) | |
| November General Elections Amendment | Election administration and governance | Establish November as the month for general elections |
| 8,389 (84%) | 1,645 (16%) | |
| Pardon Powers Amendment | Law enforcement; State executive official measures | Amend provisions relating to pardons |
| 7,352 (93%) | 586 (7%) | |
| Publication of Laws and Opinions Amendment | Administration of government; State judiciary; State legislatures measures | Amend provisions relating to the publication of laws and Supreme Court opinions |
| 8,870 (93%) | 667 (7%) |
Idaho
See also: Idaho 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HJR 10 | Elections and campaigns; County and municipal governance |
| 11,147 (74%) | 3,952 (26%) | ||
| SJR 5 | County and municipal governance |
| 11,643 (76%) | 3,612 (24%) | ||
| Women's Suffrage Amendment | Sex and gender issues; Women's suffrage | Provides for women's suffrage in state constitution |
| 12,126 (66%) | 6,282 (34%) |
Illinois
See also: Illinois 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Amendment | State legislative authority | It proposed to allow the general assembly to propose amendments to three articles of the constitution in each session instead of just one.Note: Although this measure gathered more "yes" votes, it did not pass because at the time of the vote Illinois required that amendments receive a vote of more than 50 percent of those voting in the election. There were 1,090,869 voters in this election, requiring at least 545,435 “yes” votes. | | 163,057 (71%) | 66,519 (29%) |
Minnesota
See also: Minnesota 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State executive official measures; Law enforcement |
| 130,354 (74%) | 45,097 (26%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Immigration policy; Citizenship voting requirements |
| 97,980 (65%) | 52,454 (35%) | |
| Amendment 3 | County and municipal governance |
| 107,086 (65%) | 58,312 (35%) | |
| Amendment 4 | Property |
| 101,188 (64%) | 56,839 (36%) | |
| Amendment 5 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; County and municipal governance |
| 127,151 (78%) | 36,134 (22%) | |
| Amendment 6 | Taxes; Business regulations |
| 163,694 (79%) | 42,922 (21%) |
Montana
See also: Montana 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voting Qualifications Amendment | Residency voting requirements; Voting age policy | Provide voting qualifications in the state constitution | | 3,857 (20%) | 15,867 (80%) |
Nebraska
See also: Nebraska 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State judiciary structure; State judicial selection | Increase the state Supreme Court to five justices with terms of at least five years as provided for by law | | 84,579 (69%) | 37,896 (31%) | |
| Amendment 10 | Local government organization | Require the merging of county and metropolitan governments to be approved by voters | | 56,960 (54%) | 47,634 (46%) | |
| Amendment 11 | Election administration and governance | Provide for lawful methods of voting | | 62,303 (58%) | 44,370 (42%) | |
| Amendment 12 | Election administration and governance; Local government finance and taxes | Require local jurisdictions to get voter approval before donating to internal improvements and manufacturers | | 60,479 (57%) | 45,669 (43%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Salaries of government officials | Provide that compensation of Supreme Court and district judges be established by the legislature, no more than once every four years | | 61,119 (56%) | 48,533 (44%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Salaries of government officials | Provide that compensation of state executive officers be established by the legislature, no more than once every four years | | 59,496 (56%) | 47,611 (44%) | |
| Amendment 4 | State judiciary structure; State judicial authority | Vest judicial power in the Supreme Court, district, county and other inferior courts as created by law | | 60,094 (57%) | 45,377 (43%) | |
| Amendment 5 | State legislative authority; State judiciary structure; State judicial authority | Allow the legislature to increase the number of judges on state courts once every four years | | 59,343 (56%) | 46,576 (44%) | |
| Amendment 6 | State legislative authority; Jury rules | Require a five-sixths vote of a jury to convict in civil cases and authorize the legislature to provide trials by juries of less than 12 men in inferior courts | | 73,573 (65%) | 39,006 (35%) | |
| Amendment 7 | State executive branch structure | Provide for the offices in the executive department and their terms | | 67,045 (62%) | 40,597 (38%) | |
| Amendment 8 | State executive branch structure | Require a three-fourths vote by the state legislature to create any additional executive state offices | | 60,246 (58%) | 44,063 (42%) | |
| Amendment 9 | Public education funding; Restricted-use funds | Authorize the investment of permanent educational funds | | 78,447 (68%) | 36,619 (32%) |
New Hampshire
See also: New Hampshire 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | State constitutional conventions | It proposed that a convention be held to amend the constitution. | | 14,099 (42%) | 19,831 (58%) |
New York
See also: New York 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Forestry and timber; Parks, land, and natural area conservation | Permanently protect New York State forest preserve lands as wild forest with limited exceptions | | 321,486 (31%) | 710,505 (69%) |
South Dakota
See also: South Dakota 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abolish Regents' Board of Trustees Amendment | Public education governance; Higher education governance | Repeal the Regents' Board of Trustees and establish an appointed board to govern all state educational institutions |
| 31,061 (72%) | 11,960 (28%) | |
| Civil Township Debt Limit Amendment | Debt limits | Limit local government debt, with exceptions for water projects with voter approval |
| 28,290 (66%) | 14,789 (34%) | |
| Prohibition of Monopolies Amendment | Business regulations | Prohibit monopolies and anti-competitive agreements that fix prices, limit production, or regulate transportation to suppress competition |
| 36,763 (80%) | 9,136 (20%) | |
| Prohibition Repeal Amendment | Alcohol laws | Repeal prohibition on alcohol |
| 31,901 (56%) | 24,901 (44%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 2 | Citizenship voting requirements | Require foreign-born persons to declare their intent to become U.S. citizens at least six months before an election in order to be eligible to vote |
| 268,262 (84%) | 51,649 (16%) | |
| Public School Fund Investment Amendment | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Prison and jail funding | Authorize investment of the public school fund in agricultural lands to benefit the penitentiary system | | 101,121 (35%) | 188,574 (65%) |
Washington
See also: Washington 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Requirement for Voting Amendment | Literacy, poll tax, and property voting requirements; English language policy | Require individuals to be able to read and speak English in order to vote |
| 28,019 (70%) | 11,983 (30%) |
Wisconsin
See also: Wisconsin 1896 ballot measures
November 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Salaries of government officials; Education; State executive official measures | Remove the salary limit for the state superintendent of education | | 38,752 (41%) | 56,506 (59%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
- • State ballot measures
- • Local ballot measures
- • Analyses
- • Historical Ballot Measures (HBM) Factbooks
- • History of ballot measures by topic
- • Campaign finance
- • Endorsements
- • Polls
Footnotes
