Beyond the scores of House, Senate and state legislature seats up for grabs on Tuesday (along with several governor’s mansions), there are more than 100 ballot measures for voters across several states to consider. The outcome of those measures could have profound effects for millions of people on everything from voting rights and abortion rights to marijuana legalization. Here are some of the important ballot measures to watch.
VOTING RIGHTS
Arizona
Arizona already has laws requiring voters to show identification at the polls. Currently, anyone who doesn’t have a photo ID can show two documents proving their identity and address, but Proposition 309 would eliminate that possibility. The measure would also require a new affidavit for mail-in ballots that would include either a driver’s license number or the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number, their date of birth and their signature.
Arizona has become a hot spot for election misinformation and outright lies. Many supporters of Prop 309 continue to propagate the lie that the 2020 presidential election was marred by widespread fraud.
Michigan
Michigan’s Proposal 2 includes several measures intended to make voting easier and more accessible, including guaranteeing that military and overseas ballots that are postmarked by Election Day are counted; allowing absentee voters to be dropped off at ballot boxes; and allowing nine days of early voting.
Republican lawmakers who have spent the last two years peddling lies about election security are unsurprisingly against this measure, while Democrats and liberal organizations are in support.
Nebraska
The state’s Initiative 432 would amend the Nebraska Constitution to require photo identification in order to vote. Supporters of the initiative have claimed this would add another layer of election security, while opponents argue it would simply make it harder for Nebraskans to vote.
MARIJUANA
Arkansas
Issue 4 would legalize marijuana use for Arkansans who are at least 21 years old. It would also legalize the commercial sale of weed. Proponents have pointed to the revenue raised by allowing the sale of marijuana, saying a percentage of it would be used to fund the police. Those against the measure are skeptical that law enforcement would actually receive much money, and they claim there would be an uptick in crime.
Maryland
The state’s Question 4 would legalize weed for adults and ask the state’s legislature to pass laws addressing the use, distribution, regulation and taxation of marijuana. It would also allow for people convicted of marijuana possession to have their records expunged. The drug has already been decriminalized in Maryland, but supporters of the proposal say decriminalization doesn’t go far enough.
Missouri
Amendment 3 in Missouri would legalize weed for Missourians ages 21 and up. It would also allow people convicted of nonviolent marijuana offenses to apply to be released from incarceration and/or have their records expunged. Supporters have said the measure isn’t perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction. However, the opposition includes the NAACP, which criticizes the measure for limiting who can have their records expunged.
North Dakota
North Dakota’s Measure 2 would allow adults ages 21 and older to possess a small amount of weed. Many law enforcement groups have said they oppose the proposition, claiming it would lead to an increase in crime.
South Dakota
In 2020, South Dakota voters approved a measure that would have legalized weed, but Gov. Kristi Noem (R) filed a lawsuit to kill the proposal. With Measure 27, voters are headed back to the polls to vote on it again.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
California
California’s Proposition 1 would make abortion access and reproductive freedom a constitutional right.
Kentucky
Kentucky’s Amendment 2 would change the state constitution to say that the state does not provide a right to an abortion or allow public funding to be used for abortions. A law that went into effect after the fall of Roe v. Wade banned abortion in Kentucky with very few exceptions.
Medical groups are urging people to vote no on Amendment 2, saying it would have dire consequences for reproductive health. Activists hope that defeating the amendment would help in their fight to restore abortion rights in the state.
Michigan
Proposal 3 in Michigan would make reproductive freedom, including access to abortion and contraception, a constitutional right.
Montana
Montana’s LR-131 would require life-sustaining medical care to be provided to any infant born alive, including in cases where the infant has received a fatal prognosis. It also calls for felony charges against doctors and other health care providers who fail to comply.
The initiative, which is opposed by major medical groups across the state, reads that doctors who provide palliative care to newborns can face 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Proponents of the measure say it’s about saving babies ― but medical professionals say that letting grieving parents hold a newborn who will only survive a few moments, instead of working to save the child’s life, is the ethical and practical thing to do.
Vermont
Vermont’s Proposal 5 would enshrine reproductive rights in the state’s constitution.
MINIMUM WAGE
Nebraska
Initiative 433 would increase the state’s minimum wage from $9 to $15 by 2026. Proponents of the initiative say that most minimum wage workers earn only $19,000 a year. Those who oppose raising the minimum wage say that increasing worker pay will ultimately hurt their businesses’ bottom lines.
Nevada
Nevada currently has a two-tiered minimum wage system. The minimum wage for employees who receive qualifying health care is $9.50, while those who don’t must be paid at least $10.50. The minimum wage for both tiers is already set to increase next year, but Question 2 would abolish the two tiers and require employees to pay their workers $12 an hour by 2024, regardless of their health insurance status.
Washington, D.C.
The District’s Initiative 82 would increase the minimum wage for tipped workers from $5.35 to the minimum wage for non-tipped employees, which is $16.10. A version of this measure appeared on the ballot in 2018, and it passed with the support of 55% of voters. But after intense pressure from the restaurant industry, the city council voted to overturn the will of the voters.
SLAVERY
Louisiana
Louisiana’s Amendment 7 would remove slavery and involuntary servitude from the state constitution. Currently, the constitution says slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited “except in the latter case as punishment for a crime.” The amendment would remove that exception clause and add language that says the slavery prohibition “does not apply to the otherwise lawful administration of criminal justice.”
Even supporters of the amendment have said the wording is confusing, and opponents are asking people to vote against it so an amendment with clearer language can be drafted.
Oregon
Oregon’s Measure 112 would remove language from the state’s constitution that allows slavery or involuntary servitude as punishment for crimes. Though the proposition seems obvious and straightforward, some law enforcement officials say it could affect work programs at prisons and jails.
Tennessee
Tennessee’s Amendment 3 would repeal the language in the state constitution that allows slavery or involuntary servitude as criminal punishment.
Vermont
In Vermont, Proposal 2 would remove antiquated language about slavery from the state constitution. Some lawmakers have expressed concern about what the amendment could mean for prison laborers who are often paid below minimum wage.