Elected offices aren't the only things Americans will be voting for on Election Day. Many states and localities are voting on critical ballot measures on key topics, including voting rights and redistricting, energy and the environment, health care, criminal justice, taxes and labor, and even unusual proposals like one to create a city-run bank. At each of the preceding links, you can find a close look at the key measures going before voters in each broad subject area, while below, we’ll summarize the complete picture. You can also find our complete spreadsheet here, where we've cataloged 80 ballot measures across 29 states and 12 cities and counties that we’re following.
With Republicans doing everything they can to undermine democracy, measures to protect voting rights, curtail gerrymandering, level the campaign finance playing field, and reform the electoral system itself are key for fair elections. Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, and Utah are all voting on redistricting reforms that aim to make districts fairer, and Florida could restore voting rights to more than 1 million people disenfranchised for past felony convictions. Meanwhile, Maryland, Michigan, and Nevada could pass measures making it easier to vote, including automatic and same-day voter registration. However, not all measures are positive: GOP-run states including Arkansas, Montana, and North Carolina could pass provisions restricting voting rights.
Likewise, with the Republicans who run the federal government failing to take action on climate change, states are stepping up with ballot measures of their own. Most important of these is one in Washington that would impose a fee on carbon pollution and use it to fund investments in clean air, clean water, and clean energy, especially in low-income areas and communities of color. Other states will decide whether to impose renewable energy mandates and restrictions on environmentally risky oil and gas projects.
If you've paid attention to any political ads this year, you've probably noticed that health care is the most talked about issue, and healthcare-related measures are on the ballot in several states. Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, and Utah will vote on Medicaid expansion that could give hundreds of thousands of Americans affordable health care. On the other hand, Alabama, Oregon, and West Virginia will decide on restrictions on abortion rights now that the Supreme Court is poised to gut Roe v. Wade.
Criminal justice, marijuana reform, and changes to state judiciaries are also on the ballot in several states and cities. These measures would allow for reductions in sentences for nonviolent crimes like drug use or possession, impose stricter standards and training for police conduct, and eliminate vestiges of Jim Crow that allow non-unanimous juries to convict people of felonies. Michigan and North Dakota could legalize recreational marijuana, and Missouri and Utah could legalize medicinal marijuana. However, six states are voting on largely GOP-backed measures called "Marsy's Law” that conservatives contend strengthen victims’ rights but could end up undermining due process and exacerbating recidivism.
Taxes and labor protections are also on the ballot in a handful of states and localities, with Arkansas, Missouri, and populous Cook County, Illinois, deciding whether to raise their minimum wages to $11 or more. Maine could raises taxes to fund the country’s first universal home-care program for the disabled and elderly, while San Francisco could tax big businesses to fund programs for the homeless. However, Republicans have put measures on the ballot in states like Florida to require onerous supermajority requirements for legislators to raise taxes, and North Carolina Republicans put a deceptive income tax cap on the ballot to lock in their tax cuts for the rich in case Democrats regain power.
Finally, some places are voting on even more atypical measures. Los Angeles, California could authorize a future vote to establish a municipal-run-and-owned bank that would provide investments for local infrastructure and community development, taking after North Dakota's century-old state bank. The state of California will also vote on whether to authorize cities to expand rent control amid the state’s affordable housing crisis.
Check back in at Daily Kos Elections on election night for our liveblog starting when the first polls close at 6 PM ET, where we’ll be covering all of the key election results.