Changes in 2026 to laws governing ballot measures
As of March 7, 2026, two bill had been enacted into law concerning ballot measures, initiatives, veto referendums, referrals, local ballot measures, and recall elections in 2026. Ballotpedia tracked 372 legislative proposals on these topics.
On this page, you will find:
- a list of state ballot measures to change ballot measure processes in 2026
- a list of bills enacted in 2026 regarding ballot measures or recall elections
- a map and list of bills proposed in 2026 regarding ballot measures or recall elections
Legislation approved in 2026 by legislative vote
The Partisan Direction Index (PDI) measures the partisan support behind legislation. The index ranges from -100%to +100%, where –100% means only Democrats voted 'Yes,' +100% means only Republicans did, and zero means equal support from both parties. PDI accounts for the percentage of each party's members who voted 'Yes.'
| PDI Range (Continuous) | Class (Ordinal) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| -100% to -60% | Democratic | Mostly or entirely Democratic support; little or no Republican support |
| -60% to -20% | Lean Democratic | Predominantly Democratic, with some Republican support |
| -20% to +20% | Bipartisan | Both parties showed majority support. No single party drove the support |
| +20% to +60% | Lean Republican | Predominantly Republican, with some Democratic support |
| +60% to +100% | Republican | Mostly or entirely Republican support; little or no Democratic support |
Legislation
The table below presents a list of bills passed in 2026, along with the percentages of Democrats and Republicans who voted in favor of these bills.
| State | Bill | D Support (%) | R Support (%) | Margin | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | SB 5 | 100.0% | 98.9% | D+1.1% | Bipartisan | Require ballot measure titles to include language stating whether the measure is a legislative referral or a citizen-initiated measure |
| Utah | HB 242 | 5.6% | 98.7% | R+93.2% | Republican | Change procedures and rules governing initiative and referendum petition signature removal statements |
Legislation enacted in 2026 by state
South Dakota
Senate Bill 5
- Senate Bill 5: The legislation required ballot measure titles to include language stating whether the ballot measure is a legislative referral or a citizen-initiated measure.[1]
| Senate Bill 5 Vote | Senate | House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | NV | Yes | No | NV | |
| Total | 32 | 0 | 32 | 64 | 1 | 5 |
| Democratic (D) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican (R) | 29 | 0 | 3 | 59 | 1 | 5 |
Utah
House Bill 242
- House Bill 242: The legislation made several changes to the procedures and rules governing initiative and referendum petition signature removal statements, including:
- prohibiting paying individuals to gather signature removal statements based on the number of statements collected;
- creating a badge requirement for persons paid to gather signature removal statements; and
- prohibiting voters from submitting signature removal statements by mail using prepaid postage.
| House Bill 242 Vote | Senate | House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | NV | Yes | No | NV | |
| Total | 21 | 7 | 1 | 57 | 12 | 5 |
| Democratic (D) | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 |
| Republican (R) | 21 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 5 |
Legislation proposed in 2026
The following map shows the number of bills related to ballot measures or recall elections in each state. Click on a state to see a list of bills in that state. Click Back in the upper left-hand corner to return to the map.
Rulings in 2026
The following is a list of court rulings issued in 2026 that affected the ballot measure process.
Missouri
Nicholson v. Missouri
On January 23, 2026, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that Senate Bill 22 (SB 22), enacted in 2025, violated the state constitution's original purpose requirement (Article III, Section 21). The opinion stated, "To pass constitutional muster, the Court must look to the original version of the bill and compare it with the final version. There must be some logical connection between the original purpose of the bill and all of the final provisions in the bill." The court held that SB 22, as enacted, violated its original purpose.[2]
SB 22 made several changes, including increasing the word limit for ballot summaries for legislative referrals from 50 to 100 words; extending the deadline for final rulings on ballot measure challenges from 56 to 70 days before an election; allowing the secretary of state to rewrite ballot summaries up to three times before a court may do so; and permitting the attorney general to appeal a preliminary injunction that blocks a state law from taking effect.[3]
See also
- Changes to laws governing ballot measures
- Changes in 2025 to laws governing ballot measures
- Changes in 2024 to laws governing ballot measures
- Changes in 2023 to laws governing ballot measures
Footnotes
