DIRECT DEMOCRACY — On Nov. 8, voters in 38 states will have the opportunity to vote on 140 certified statewide ballot measures — 20 more than in 2020. Some are standard fare — more money for infrastructure, or schools, or environmental protections — while others could change how Americans live and vote. There are even attempts to right past wrongs, with several measures attempting to pave the way for prisoners to challenge forced labor laws . Here are five of the most notable and consequential ballot measures: A new voting system in Nevada: If Nevada's Question 3 passes, one of the nation's premier swing states could see its electoral system overhauled. The initiative asks whether Nevada voters want to implement ranked choice voting, a system by which voters rank candidates in order of preference. The consequences of RCV are playing out now in Alaska, where the state's recently installed RCV system has Republican Sarah Palin openly saying she will rank Democratic rival Rep. Mary Peltola second over fellow Republican Nick Begich III and many Begich supporters refusing to rank anyone else. In short, the system is scrambling the dynamics in a traditionally red state. In Alaska, RCV helped Peltola win a special election this summer (against the same current challengers, Palin and Begich) and has her in the driver's seat to defend her seat this fall. In Nevada, however, top Democrats are in unison opposing the idea , which they argue will dampen turnout by making voting more "error-prone, confusing and exclusionary." And many Republican officials agree . Pro-RCV groups, on the other hand, argue that ranking candidates produces outcomes that are more representative of voters' wishes. Sports gambling in California: California is considering two ballot initiatives — Proposition 26 and Proposition 27 — that would legalize sports betting. Prop. 26 would legalize sports betting in-person at tribal casinos and private race tracks, while Prop. 27 would legalize online sports betting. The campaigns for and against have spent staggering sums of money, even by California standards, making the two measures cumulatively the most expensive in ballot initiative history — approaching $550 million raised in total . That's close to the amount of total spending on the 2000 presidential race, in 2022 dollars. With online sports gambling sweeping the country, proponents argue that Prop. 27 in particular could bring in a windfall of cash. Most tribal leaders support Prop. 26, which would allow them to expand gambling operations in California, but oppose Prop. 27 out of concerns that online gambling could eat into their profits. Despite the massive spending, both measures look poised to fail, according to recent polling. Abortion rights in Michigan: Michigan abortion rights groups fought hard to get Proposal 3 on the ballot this November. If passed, the measure would enshire the right to abortion in the Michigan constitution, reversing the state's 1931 abortion ban, which is currently blocked by state courts but could be allowed to take effect by the Michigan Supreme Court. Democrats around the country have made abortion rights a pillar of their pitch to voters in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade . Now, Michigan voters will have the chance to vote directly on whether abortion in the state should be legal (as will voters in California and Vermont; voters in Montana and Kentucky will consider variations on the question of a right to abortion). Recent polls indicate strong support for the measure in Michigan. Democrats are hoping that Proposal 3 can generate big turnout, which they expect would boost the party's prospects up and down the ballot, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's reelection bid. Establishing a minimum wage in Nebraska: Nebraska currently has a minimum wage of $9/hour, above the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour but trailing behind more than half of the country. Initiative Measure 433 would raise the state's minimum wage to $15/hour by 2026, an increase that proponents argue is necessary amid rising inflation. While raising the federal minimum wage was a much-discussed issue during the 2020 campaign — and in particular during Democratic primaries — the issue appears to have fallen off President Joe Biden's to-do list. If a minimum wage increase can succeed in a red state, it could put the issue back on the map for Democrats. Marijuana legalization in Arkansas: Nineteen states have already made marijuana use legal. Arkansas could be next. About two in every three American voters support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, according to a YouGov poll , but so far, legalization has mostly passed in blue states. If Issue 4 — Arkansas' marijuana legalization initiative — passes, it would be the most conservative state to legalize recreational weed use. (Five other states are considering ballot initiatives this year that would do the same). The measure enjoys bipartisan support, and libertarians have come out strongly on the side of legalization. However, since September, when Arkansas' Supreme Court agreed that the initiative could be considered by voters in November, some top GOP figures have decided to turn up the heat against the measure. Sen. Tom Cotton recently warned against "following California's path" and that passing Issue 4 would lead to "more crime, more addiction, and more traffic fatalities." Recent polling suggests that voters still narrowly prefer legalization, though the race has gotten tighter — support has fallen from 59 percent in September to 51 percent in October . Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight's author at cmchugh@politico.com or on Twitter at @calder_mchugh .
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment