When most people say, “It’s up to the voters,” they mean the issue will be decided in November. But voters in five states have already spoken on nine separate ballot measures.
In elections throughout the spring and summer of 2024, voters have weighed in on tax, health and election policy, to name just a few of this year’s common topics. These measures foreshadow some of what’s to come in November.
Voters in two states cast ballots on election-related measures, 28 of which will appear nationwide in the general election.
Wisconsin voters in April adopted a prohibition on private funding of elections, joining 27 other states that have enacted similar bans since 2020. They also approved a measure prohibiting anyone other than an election official from performing election-related tasks.
North Dakota voters passed a measure setting age limits for congressional candidates in June, but its constitutionality remains unclear. It is the only measure of its kind this year.
Taxes and state funding are common ballot measure topics this year, as they are every year:
- Missouri voters rejected a measure in August that would have exempted child care facilities from property tax requirements.
- Alabama voters rejected a measure in March that would have exempted local laws from the state’s budget isolation process, which requires the Legislature to pass education and general fund budgets before passing other legislation.
- Wisconsin voters rejected two measures that would have increased the Legislature’s authority over how the state handles funding: one would have prohibited lawmakers from delegating their appropriation powers; the other would have required the governor to obtain legislative approval before allocating federal funds.
Ballot measures dealing with allocation of funds to health services are also common this year. California voters approved one such measure in March, allocating funds to housing, substance abuse and mental health treatment programs for veterans and unhoused people.
With these elections complete, the stage is set for November, when voters will head to the polls to vote on over 130 ballot measures on ranked-choice voting, recreational use of cannabis, abortion and more.
Visit NCSL’s Statewide Ballot Measures Database to follow along as more measures are certified for the ballot and as results come in.
Helen Brewer is a policy specialist in NCSL’s Elections and Redistricting Program.