Election Results for State Ballot Initiatives
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Connecting state and local government leaders
As the nation digests Trump’s win, here’s how various state ballot proposals played out in different parts of the nation.
Our look at how some of the major state ballot initiatives, proposals, amendments and other measures we were watching fared at the polls …
California Proposition 61: Drug Price Standards
California voters rejected a measure that would have capped state spending on prescription drugs at prices the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays 53.8 percent to 46.2 percent, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. The VA negotiates drug costs for military personnel, and its 24 percent markdown on standard drug prices could’ve saved the state millions of dollars.
Washington Initiative 732: Carbon Emissions Tax
A first-of-its-kind measure imposing an emissions tax on fossil fuels like coal and oil burned in-state was rejected by about 59 percent of voters, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Georgia Amendment 1: Authorization of the State Government to Intervene in Failing Local Schools
Backed by Gov. Nathan Deal, this controversial amendment failed with a 60 percent “No” vote, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Passage would’ve created a new state agency with another school superintendent, who would’ve been appointed by Deal in this case. The position’s powers would have included taking over struggling schools, shutting them down or converting them to charter schools.
Louisiana Amendments 3, 5 and 6: Tax and Budget Related Measures
Voters rejected Amendment 3, eliminating a deduction corporations can claim for the cost of federal income taxes when paying state income taxes, and Amendment 6, changing the budget funds lawmakers can tap into during financial slumps. Amendment 5, creating a Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund for infrastructure and public worker pension costs, passed.
New Jersey Public Question 2: Transportation ‘Lockbox’
With New Jersey having raised its gas tax by 23 cents per gallon last month, this successful proposal—garnering a 54 percent “Yes” vote, according to the New Jersey 101.5—will ensure all the resulting revenue goes toward transportation projects. A similar transportation “lockbox” in Illinois also passed.
Also worth noting in the states …
Arizona was the only state to fail to legalize recreational marijuana on Tuesday. California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada voters all approved similar measures. And Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota voters legalized medical marijuana.
Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and Washington state all approved ballot measures raising the minimum wage. South Dakota’s voters rejected a referendum decreasing the minimum wage for workers under 18 years of age.
Voters in the District of Columbia overwhelmingly supported a measure petitioning Congress on becoming the nation’s 51st state. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser plans to bring the statehood petition to the president-elect and congressional leaders by Inauguration Day.
Colorado voters approved a measure making it harder to collect signatures to qualify a constitutional amendment for the ballot, backed by the energy industry that also lobbied for a state ban on local fracking moratoriums.