Ballotwatch®
2008 Election
NEW! Election Report (BW 2008-3) [Posted November 5 / updated November 16]
Same-Sex Marriage (BW 2008-2) [Posted October 14, 2008]
Election Preview (BW 2008-1) [Updated October 24, 2008]
Through a Planner's Lens (State Resource Strategies) [Posted November 11, 2008]
The big story for ballot propositions this year is the surge of social issues. The tax and spending issues that normally dominate initiatives and referendums took a back seat in November to a diverse collection of social issues, with intriguing potential spillovers onto the presidential election.
Voters faced 153 statewide ballot propositions on November 4, picking and choosing according to local conditions, giving no indication of a trend in the national mood to the left or right.
On social issues, conservatives scored victories with same-sex marriage bans in Arizona, California, and Florida, while progressives turned back abortion bans in South Dakota and Colorado as well as a California measure that would have required parental notification before a minor received an abortion.
The nation’s highest profile measure, California’s Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage, was approved with 52 percent in favor. The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 together raised in excess of $60 million, a record for a social issue. The outcome is surprising because a large number of pre-election polls showed the proposition failing. An Associate Press exit poll found especially strong support for the proposition among African American voters, with 70 percent in favor, suggested that a surge in Obama supporters might have contributed to the measure’s success.
With the economy souring, voters might have been expected to hold the line on government spending. But 14 of 15 bond measures appear to be heading toward passage, authorizing more than $13 billion in all.
Seventeen tax measures were on ballots nationwide. Montana voters authorized higher property taxes to support state universities, while Florida voters rejected a proposal for higher property taxes for community colleges, and Florida, Louisiana, and Oklahoma approved various property tax exemptions. A sales tax increase was approved in Minnesota but turned down in Colorado and Nevada. Colorado voters also said no to a measure that would have increased severance taxes on oil and gas.
Animal rights activists recorded two notable victories. In California, a measure requiring a minimum living space for farm animals passed with 63 percent in favor. The proposition comes on the heels of similar successful measures in Florida and Arizona. In Massachusetts, voters agreed to prohibit commercial dog racing.
Sixty-one measures were placed on the ballot by citizen petition, 59 of them initiatives (proposed new statutes or constitutional amendments) and two of them referendums (proposals to repeal a law passed by the legislature). Five measures were placed on the ballot by state commissions, and three were required by state constitutions (whether to call a constitutional convention, required every 20 years in Connecticut, Hawaii, and Illinois). The remaining 84 measures were placed on the ballot by legislatures. Overall, 91 measures were approved, and 62 were rejected. The overall passage rate of 59 percent is below the 67 percent rate in 2004 and 2006. Twenty-four of 59 initiatives were approved. The 41 percent passage rate for initiatives is equal to historical average.
The 59 initiatives in November together with 9 initiatives from earlier in the year bring the annual total to 68 initiatives. There were 66 initiatives in 2004 and 76 initiatives in 2006, so citizen-driven activity is similar to the recent past. For the decade as a whole (2000-2008), the number of initiatives is 362, short of the record 379 for the decade 1990-1999, but still the second busiest decade since the initiative process was adopted in 1898. See IRI Report on Initiative Use, 1904-2007.
This IRI report highlights key issues and provides a state-by-state list all of ballot measures. For additional nonpartisan information on ballot propositions, see Ballotpedia and the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Please direct media inquiries to Gilien Silsby, Director of Public Relations, (213) 740-9690 (office), (213) 500-8673 (cell), gsilsby@law.usc.edu.
Select a state on the map below to transfer to a page with other information on the state's political history and a link to the state's election division.
Local Initiative, Referendum and Recall Elections of Interest
For local land and environmental ballot measure information visit the Land Trust Alliance. For local transportation related ballot measures visit the Center for Transportation Excellence.
International Initiative, Referendum and Recall Elections of Interest
For information on ballot measures in other countries, visit the Initiative and Referendum Institute-Europe and the Center for Direct Democracy
2007 Election
Election Results 2007 (BW 2007-2)
Election Preview 2007 (BW 2007-1)
Report on Historical Initiative Use, 1904-2006
Report on Constitutional Amendments (IRI Report 2006-3)
2006 Election
Election Results 2006 (BW 2006-5)
Tobacco-related ballot measures (BW 2006-4)
Election Preview 2006 (BW 2006-3)
IRI report on how ballot propositions may spill over onto candidate elections (IRI Report 2006-2)
IRI statement on Florida constitutional amendments
IRI report on constitutional amendments (IRI Report 2006-2)
2005 Election
Election Review 2005 (BW 2005-3)
Election Preview 2005 (BW 2005-2)
California Special Election
Democracy on the Brink: Nov. 1 Conference
Report on California Special Election (BW 2005-1)
Report on Redistricting in California (IRI Report 2005-1)
Article: "Have Initiatives Paralyzed the California Budget Process?"
2004 Election
Overview of all measures (BW 2004-1)
Seven Worth Watching (BW 2004-3)
The "Long" California Ballot (BW 2004-4)
Complete state-by-state election preview (BW 2004-0)
Complete state-by-state election results (BW 2004-10)
Post-election Report: Environmental Measures (BW 2004-11)
Complete state-by-state election results from November 2003
Center for Transportation Excellence - 2003 Transportation Ballot Measures
So what did the voter’s decide – were they cautious as we had predicted or did they disregard the concerns of war, terrorism and the economy and do as they pleased? In short, “cautious” was the word of the day. The voters once again defied party labeling and voted their conscience when it came to ballot measures. In a time of great uncertainty, voters picked through the list of statewide ballot measures and systematically made their feelings known while at the same time not revealing whether their underlying principles lean more liberal or conservative. The great race to categorize the voter’s political beliefs will once again have to wait for another election day.
Center for Transportation Excellence - 2002 Transportation Ballot Measures
2002 Ballot Measure Donor Report
The voters turned out on Tuesday to cast their ballots on 204 statewide ballot measures in 42 states and approved approximately 63% of them. 71 were placed on the ballot by the people and 133 were placed on the ballot by the state legislatures. Of the measures placed on the ballot by the people, 48% were approved. This number is a little higher than the 100-year average of 41% but a lot lower than 1998’s passage rate of 61%. In looking at the measures placed on the ballot by the state legislatures, the voters continued the trend of passing those at a higher percentage than citizen measures by adopting almost 71% of them.
1998 proved to be no different than previous elections with the people utilizing the initiative process to place the issues on the ballot that elected officials typically have been unwilling or unable to deal with. Issues from all political persuasions blanketed the ballot - from the conservative backed I-200 in Washington State that ended racial preferences to the liberal backed enactment of campaign finance reform in Arizona and Massachusetts. There were initiatives that limited government as well as those that expanded government, those that increased taxes or lowered taxes and those that empowered government and those that empowered citizens. 1998 had a little of something for voters of every political persuasion.
IRI Historical Database
The database lists all statewide initiatives to appear on the ballot since the first statewide initiative in Oregon in 1904. This list does not contain information on issues placed on the ballot by state legislatures which are commonly referred to as legislative measures. The Institute has only tracked legislative referendum since the 1998 general election and a listing of those ballot measures can be found in the above general election reports. For information on accessing the database, contact John G. Matsusaka, President, matsusak@usc.edu.
