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NEWS RELEASE

Date: November 8, 2000 4:46 p.m EST
Media Contact: Gene Rose (303) 364-7700

Voters Take Stand on Ballot Measures

DENVER -- The National Conference of State Legislatures' review of the 204 ballot issues considered by voters on Tuesday are coming into focus. Only four measures are still too close to call. So far, about 64 percent of all ballot measures are passing. Of those ballot measures, about 49 percent of citizen initiatives are receiving voter approval.

Here's a rundown of how some of the ballot issues have played out across the country.

California voters approved a legislative referendum that establishes contribution limits. The state was one of only six states with no limits on campaign contributions. "Clean elections" public financing failed in Missouri but passed in Oregon. This is the first time the measure has failed in an initiative election.

Colorado and Nevada both approved measures allowing for the medical use of marijuana, bringing the total number of states with similar laws to eight. Alaskans defeated a measure that would have legalized the use of marijuana.

Measures mandating treatment instead of incarceration for drug possession charges passed in California but failed in Massachusetts. Forfeiture laws that make it more difficult for law enforcement to seize property used in a crime was passed in Oregon and Utah.

Some states were considering how to appropriate funds received from the historic tobacco settlement. Arizona voters approved one measure that expands health insurance to uninsured families and expands funding for children's health care, and another that provides health insurance for state residents whose income falls below the federal poverty level. Tobacco settlement revenues will pay for the former measure while the legislature will have to find a way to fund the latter.

Arkansas, Montana, Oklahoma also voted to dedicate their share of tobacco settlement revenues to health care and Utah voters agreed to create a trust fund and let the Legislature decide how to spend it. Oregon voters appear to be defeating two competing measures on how to allocate the funds.

Voucher programs were defeated in both California and Michigan. Washington's charter school measure failed. Arizona followed California's 1998 move to ban bilingual education and Oregon voted against tying teacher pay to job performance.

School funding measures were passing mostly. Arizona increased sales tax by six-tenths of one percent for education and Colorado voted to require that per pupil spending increase by the rate of inflation plus one percentage point for the next 10 years. However, Colorado voters defeated dedicating excess revenue to math and science grants for public schools. Washington and Virginia decided to dedicate state lottery revenues to education. New Mexico, North Carolina and Rhode Island passed school funding bond measures. Oregon passed a measure requiring the legislature fund public schools adequately to meet certain quality goals.

Tax cuts in Colorado and Oregon failed, while one in Washington appears to be passing. It requires state and local governments to refund tax and fee increases that were passed in December 1999. It also limits future property tax increases.

Other property tax limitations had mixed results, with Alaska voters defeating its measure, but Arkansas voters approving theirs. Property tax relief for senior citizens passed in Arizona, Colorado and Georgia. Montana and South Dakota voters repealed their states' inheritance taxes. Massachusetts voters passed an income tax reduction and a deduction for charitable contributions. They defeated, though a tax credit for highway tolls.

Alaska voters rejected the Legislature's attempt to remove the right to change wildlife regulations via the initiative and the Legislature's attempt to reinstate land-and-shoot wolf hunting, which they had voted to ban in a 1996 initiative. Massachusetts voters rejected an initiative which would have banned greyhound racing, Oregon voters rejected a ban on trapping, poisoning, and fur commerce, and Washington voters passed a ban on trapping and poisoning.

Colorado and Oregon passed measures requiring background checks at gun shows. Both states have experienced school shootings in the last two years.

Colorado's measure to require a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can get an abortion failed. Physician-assisted suicide failed in Maine as did massive health care reform proposal in Massachusetts. Oregon passed a measure creating a commission to monitor the quality of home care services for the elderly and disabled.

Bans on gay marriage passed in Nebraska and Nevada. Nebraska's goes further: it also refuses to recognize a gay marriage which may be valid in another state. A measure in Maine which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has failed. Oregon's initiative which would have banned any mention of homosexuality in public schools failed.

Results on the gaming measures are mixed. Arkansas voters declined to establish a state lottery and permit casinos and a Maine initiative permitting video lottery failed. Voters passed a constitutional amendment to permit multi-state lotteries in Colorado, a Massachusetts measure which would have banned greyhound racing failed, South Carolina now has a state lottery and South Dakota voters agreed to raise the maximum bet limit in their casinos from $5 to $100 and refused to ban video lottery.

Kentucky voters appear to have approved annual sessions, but final results may not be known until late Wednesday. Voters have defeated a similar measure three times before. The legislature, which normally meets only in even years, will now meet in odd years, too. The first odd-year session will begin in January 2001.

Nebraska legislators will be limited to two consecutive terms beginning in 2008 as a result of Tuesday's election. This is the fourth time Nebraska voters have approved term limits. They were invalidated by the courts the first three times. Nebraska becomes the 19^th state with term limits for legislators.

Arizona voters decided to take redistricting out of the hands of the Legislature and give it to a newly created nonpartisan redistricting commission. Colorado voted to give its reapportionment commission more time to get the job done by permitting them to get started on April 15 instead of July 1. Massachusetts changed the timing for redistricting. New districts will now take effect for the 2002 elections, rather than the 2004 elections.

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