Voters rejected universal health care and looser marijuana laws as Americans across the country weighed in on more than 200 ballot measures Tuesday. Most education ballot measures won big in the mid-term elections (see related story) but many other measures went down in defeat.
Health care and drug reform measures faltered. Oregon residents voted against universal health care and a measure to require all genetically modified food be labeled, two of the most controversial measures on ballots this year.
Nevada voters rejected a bid to legalize the possession of up to three ounces of marijuana by anyone over 21. Ohio voters decided against allowing for treatment rather than incarceration for non-violent drug offenders. Arizona defeated a measure to legalize medical marijuana
On the tax front, Massachusetts voters balked at eliminating the state's personal income tax while Arkansas voters rejected a initiative that would do away with the taxes on food and medicine. Louisiana voters, on the other hand, approved a measure that will raise income taxes.
Smokers got the heave-ho in Florida. Voters there approved a bid to ban smoking in all indoor workplaces in the state.
Here's a roundup of some other measures voters considered yesterday
- Animal rights measures prevailed, for the most part. In Florida, voters approved a measure to give pregnant pigs larger pens while Oklahomans banned cockfighting in their state. But Arkansas voters rejected a move to make animal cruelty a felony.
- Transportation measures failed in California, Washington and northern Virginia, as voters there rejected proposals affecting the amount of public funding available for mass transit in congested areas of their states.
- Same-day voting measures were nixed in California and Colorado. Voters there rejected proposals that would allow U.S. citizens to register and vote on the same day if they could present proof of residency.
- Changes in the way a state's initiative process works were approved in Florida, Montana and Oregon. Florida passed a measure requiring that all constitutional amendments have economic impact statements. Montana upped the number of signatures needed for initiatives and Oregon banned payment-for-signature for initiative petition circulars.
- Term limits won't be reinstated in Idaho as voters appear to have approved a measure approving the legislature's action earlier this year repealing term limits.
For more information about ballot measures, see National Conference of State Legislatures; the Initiative and Referendum Institute or the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center or State Decisions 2002.
Contact Pamela M. Prah at pprah@stateline.org
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