Voters in dozens of states are choosing between more than 140 ballot measures that impact how people legally live, work, and die, in addition to choosing representatives to enact and execute laws.
About half a dozen states are considering legalizing marijuana for either medical or recreational use, while ten states are considering initiatives pertaining to abortion or reproductive rights on Tuesday’s ballots.
Future elections are the topic of about two dozen bills, some of which expressly forbid noncitizens from casting ballots. Wages, taxes, housing, and education are all impacted by other state policies.
While some of the ballot issues were presented to voters by legislators, several were started by citizen petitions that circumvent state legislatures.
Taxes
According to a proposal, Colorado would become the second state after California to levy a sales tax on firearms and ammunition, with the majority of the money raised going toward assistance for victims of crime. The sale of firearms and ammunition is already subject to federal taxes.
Voters in North Dakota are debating a proposal to do away with property taxes. Local governments may require more than $3 billion in replacement state income every two years if this proposal is implemented.
A bill in South Dakota would do away with the state’s grocery sales tax, which is already the case in the majority of other states. In order to pay for a tax refund for citizens, a plan in Oregon would increase the minimum tax on big businesses.
Legalization of marijuana
The legalization of marijuana for adult recreational use is up for vote in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Florida. In both North Dakota and South Dakota, the election represents the third vote on the matter.
Voters in Nebraska are debating two bills that would legalize medical marijuana and establish business regulations. Currently, marijuana is legal for recreational use in nearly half of the states and for medical use in around a dozen more.
A ballot initiative in Massachusetts would allow the legal possession and controlled use of psilocybin mushrooms and other natural psychedelics. After Colorado and Oregon, it would be the third state to do so.
The minimum wage
Measures on the ballots in Missouri and Alaska would mandate paid sick leave and progressively boost the minimum wage to $15 per hour. A bill in California would gradually increase the minimum wage to $18 per hour for all employers.
Many firms would be required to offer sick leave under a Nebraska law, but pay would remain unchanged.
The minimum wage for tipped workers would be progressively increased under a Massachusetts law until it equals the amount for other workers. An Arizona law, on the other hand, would let tipped employees to receive 25% less than the minimum wage, provided that tips exceed the minimum wage threshold.
Betting on sports
Voters in Missouri are debating whether to legalize sports betting as the newest state. Sports betting has quickly grown since the U.S. Supreme Court approved it in 2018, and it is already legal in 38 states as well as Washington, D.C.
Choice of school
Legislators would be able to utilize state funds for private schools if they approved a proposed change to the Kentucky Constitution. A bill in Colorado would provide K–12 kids a constitutional right to choose their school.
Voters in Nebraska are debating whether to overturn a recent state law that uses public funds to pay for private school tuition. Most states have some form of state-sponsored program to assist with the cost of private education.
Read Also: Pennsylvania’s Mail Ballot Rules May Result in a Surge of Provisional Ballots on Election Day
Immigration
A bill drafted in Arizona in the midst of an immigration boom would make it unlawful for someone currently in the country to apply for public benefits using false documentation and for someone to arrive from outside the nation other than through authorized ports of entry.
The Texas legislation under challenge, which the U.S. Justice Department claims is an infringement on federal power, is comparable to the border crossing measure.
Housing
A 1995 statute restricting local rent control ordinances is up for repeal in California. It would allow local governments to increase restrictions on the prices that landlords may demand if it were passed.
An innovative plan in Arizona connects homelessness remedies and property taxes. If property owners incur costs as a result of a local government’s refusal to enforce regulations banning illegal camping, loitering, panhandling, public drinking and drug use, and other activities, they would be able to request property tax refunds.
Voting by citizens
Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin are among the eight states where Republican-led legislatures have proposed state constitutional changes stating that only citizens are eligible to vote.
Noncitizens cannot vote in federal elections, according to a 1996 U.S. statute, and many states already have comparable legislation. However, following a surge of immigration at the U.S.-Mexican border, Republicans have highlighted the possibility of noncitizens casting ballots.
Voter roll inspections prior to the election identified possible noncitizens registered in a number of states, despite the fact that noncitizen voting has historically been uncommon.
Noncitizens are permitted to vote in some local elections in California, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.
