1954 ballot measures

1954 State Ballot Measures
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By state

Alabama

See also: Alabama 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Development	Proposes to allow certain cities and counties to promote economic development	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Gov't Finances	Proposes that the legislature regulate county fees and costs	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Taxes	Proposes to allow certain counties to levy and collect a school tax	a

Arizona

See also: Arizona 1954 ballot measures

November 2, 1954

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Proposition 100	Alcohol and American Indians	Prohibit the resale of alcohol on Indian Reservations	a	64,493 (59%)	44,965 (41%)

Arkansas

See also: Arkansas 1954 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 43	Taxes	Property assessment equalization	d
LRCA	Amendment 44	Elections	Set the length of the term of the governor at 4 years	d
LRCA	Amendment 45	Admin of gov't	Fixed salaries for state, county and district officers	d
VR	Referred Act 285	Taxes	Increase in the tax on alcohol	d

California

See also: California 1954 ballot propositions

November 2, 1954

Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Proposition 10	Establish the term of Assembly members as four years, establish the term of Senators as six years, and limit the governor to two successive terms.		962,245 (31%)	2,122,878 (69%)
LRCA	Proposition 11	Allow for a tax exemption of up to $5,000 on homes acquired with federal assistance for veterans	a	2,967,383 (90%)	339,938 (10%)
LRCA	Proposition 12	Allow those who have completed their penalties for committing an infamous crime to vote.		1,479,805 (48%)	1,626,061 (52%)
LRCA	Proposition 13	Allow the city of Vernon to frame a charter, allow such charter to define voter eligibility, and limit future annexations to uninhabited territory.		1,067,525 (40%)	1,583,890 (60%)
LRCA	Proposition 14	Specify that the tax exemption for college buildings under construction includes the land on which the building is located.	a	2,189,205 (71%)	875,069 (29%)
LRCA	Proposition 15	Exempt property under construction owned by non-profit organizations for religious hospitals or charitable purposes from taxation.	a	2,255,243 (73%)	820,056 (27%)
LRCA	Proposition 16	Require that any acquisition of property by any agency means that such agency agrees to conform with California water law.	a	2,003,716 (70%)	862,540 (30%)
LRCA	Proposition 17	Allow money collected from street and highway revenues to be used for financing vehicle parking facilities,		968,835 (31%)	2,144,142 (69%)
LRCA	Proposition 18	Allow all foreigners who live in the United States and are eligible for citizenship the same property ownership rights as native-born citizens.	a	2,165,064 (72%)	846,827 (28%)
LRCA	Proposition 19	Allow a non-lawyer judge to be a judge of a municipal court if the person served as a judge of a justice court for five years.		1,411,456 (50%)	1,424,507 (50%)
BI	Proposition 1	Allow for bonds up to $175,000,00 to help the Department of Veterans Affairs help veterans and establish the terms of such bonds.	a	2,560,629 (79%)	664,000 (21%)
LRCA	Proposition 20	Extend the amount of time given to the board of freeholders while drafting a county charter to six months.	a	1,791,922 (68%)	835,038 (32%)
LRCA	Proposition 2	Allow for the issuance of bonds up to $100,000,000 for school district buildings and equipment and establish the terms of such bonds.	a	2,758,076 (80%)	686,507 (20%)
LRCA	Proposition 3	Establish the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to control alcohol licensing and establish the makeup of such department.	a	2,265,436 (66%)	1,152,238 (34%)
CICA	Proposition 4	Increase monthly payments to aged people who meet the requirements of the Welfare and Institutions Code.		1,688,319 (45%)	2,030,132 (55%)
LRCA	Proposition 5	Continue the local property tax exemption on California-registered freight and passenger ships with more than a 50 ton burden,	a	2,306,460 (72%)	913,796 (28%)
LRCA	Proposition 6	Establish the salary of state legislators at $500 per month.	a	1,618,027 (52%)	1,482,536 (48%)
LRSS	Proposition 7	Allow the legislature to amend or repeal the Land Title Law (Torrens Act).	a	1,950,919 (72%)	744,089 (28%)
LRCA	Proposition 8	Exempt deep sea fishing, freight, and passenger vessels of with over a 100 ton burden from local property taxation.		1,218,207 (40%)	1,824,701 (60%)
LRCA	Proposition 9	Exempt church buildings in the course of construction, including the equipment used and land where located, from taxation.	a	2,405,125 (73%)	869,733 (27%)

Colorado

See also: Colorado 1954 ballot measures

November 2, 1954

Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment No. 1	Allow the state government to regulate the facilities, service, and rates of public utilities (except those owned by municipalities).	a	229,175 (65%)	123,923 (35%)
LRCA	Amendment No. 2	Exclude the Director of the Water Conservation Board from classified civil service		133,073 (45%)	159,800 (55%)
LRCA	Amendment No. 3	Establish provisions relating to the offices of state executive officials.		123,112 (44%)	155,539 (56%)
LRCA	Amendment No. 4	Add phrasing that allows the General Assembly to change pension provisions in response to changes in federal law.		104,079 (32%)	223,965 (68%)
LRCA	Amendment No. 5	Provide new redistricting requirements for House districts		116,695 (42%)	159,188 (58%)
LRCA	Amendment No. 7	Change provisions relating to tax exemptions and the collection of taxes.		143,486 (49%)	148,517 (51%)
CICA	Amendment No. 8	Set the term length for certain county officials as four years and establish such officials' compensation.	a	168,055 (53%)	151,271 (47%)
BI	Statutory Referendum No. 6	Allow the issuance of revenue anticipation warrants of up to $35 million for the maintenance of state highways.	a	177,697 (57%)	132,628 (43%)

Florida

See also: Florida 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Legislature	Provides for legislative extra sessions with a 3/5ths vote in each house; sets compensation of legislature	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Transportation	Prohibits use of state funds for toll roads extending more than three counties	d
LRCA	Amendment 3	Judiciary	Allows for additional county judges in counties with a population of more than 125,000	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	State Exec	Gives the Governor 20 days to approve or veto bills instead of 10	a
LRCA	Amendment 5	Taxes	Allows for county tax assessor to assess municipal tax upon voter approval	a
LRCA	Amendment 6	Taxes	Provides for the County Tax Assessor in Monroe County to assess all property in the county for all tax districts	a
LRCA	Amendment 7	Judiciary	Provides for an additional judge of the Court of Record in Escambia County	a

Georgia

See also: Georgia 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Local Gov't	Provides for self-governance of municipalities	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Legislature	Provides for annual sessions of the legislature of up to 40 days	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Taxes	Provides for tax exemptions for property owned by religious groups for residential purposes	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	Education	Adds a new section to the constitution relating to education	a
LRCA	Amendment 5	Taxes	Provides for taxation to pay for firemen's pensions	a
LRCA	Amendment 6	Development	Adds a new article to the constitution, to be named Slum Clearance and Redevelopment	a
LRCA	Amendment 7	Taxes	Allows counties to remove or increase the limitation of tax levies for education	a
LRCA	Amendment 13	Local Gov't	Enlarges the membership of the Macon-Bibb County Health Board	a
LRCA	Amendment 19	Education	Provides for the merger of the school system of Canton with the school system of Cherokee County	d
LRCA	Amendment 20	Education	Provides that Clarke County would have one school district under the control of a board of education	a
LRCA	Amendment 24	Education	Provides for the merger of the school system of the city of Douglas with the school district of Coffee County	a
LRCA	Amendment 27	Taxes	Provides that tax exemptions for homesteads not apply to taxes levied for the support of education in DeKalb County	d
LRCA	Amendment 28	Local Gov't	Provides for the consolidation of the city of Albany and Dougherty County	d
LRCA	Amendment 30	Education	Consolidates the schools of the city of Elberton with the schools of Elbert County	d
LRCA	Amendment 32	Taxes	Provides that tax exemptions for homesteads not apply to taxes levied for the support of education in Fulton County	a
LRCA	Amendment 33	Education	Provides that debt incurred by the Fulton County Board of Education not exceed 10 percent of the assessed value of all taxable property	a
LRCA	Amendment 44	Education	Passes legislation merging the school system of the city of Thomasville and the school district of Thomas County	d
LRCA	Amendment 45	Education	Provides that Tift County would have one school district under the control of a board of education	a

Idaho

See also: Idaho 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CISS	INIT 1	Natural resources	Requires that dredge mining ground be smoothed over and water replaced	a

Illinois

See also: Illinois 1954 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Redistricting	Shall senatorial districts be apportioned according to this proposed plan?	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	State Exec	Shall the executive officials of the state be elected to and hold office according to these amendments?	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Resources	Shall the sale or lease of the Illinois and Michigan canal be permitted?	a

Maine

See also: Maine 1954 ballot measures

September 13

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1	Gov't Finances	Increases the limit for municipal debt to seven percent	a
LRCA	Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2	Suffrage	Provides voting rights for Native Americans	a

Maryland

See also: Maryland 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Gov't salaries	Provides the sheriff of Baltimore with a salary	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Gov't salaries	Increases the governor's annual salary	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Elections	Authorizes the general assembly to provide absentee voting	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	Judiciary	Provides at least one judge for every county	a
LRCA	Amendment 5	Eminent domain	Prohibits land acquisition in Howard and Anne Arundel Counties by the mayor of Baltimore	a
LRCA	Amendment 6	Gov't salaries	Allows the salary of the secretary of state to be fixed by the general assembly	a
LRCA	Amendment 7	Local gov't	Prohibits the general assembly from enacting local laws relating to municipalities	a
LRCA	Amendment 8	Judiciary	Requires at least four judges in the Sixth Judicial Circuit	a
LRCA	Amendment 9	Judiciary	Requires at least three judges to reside in Baltimore County	a

Michigan

See also: Michigan 1954 ballot measures

November 2, 1954

Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Proposal No. 1	Allow a voter who has moved within 30 days prior to an election to vote where they are registered	a	1,202,811 (72%)	465,556 (28%)
LRCA	Proposal No. 2	Establish a maximum sales tax levy and establish how sales tax revenue shall be distributed	a	1,182,412 (73%)	443,079 (27%)
LRCA	Proposal No. 3	Allow the state to borrow up to $80,000,000 for bonuses to those who served in the Korean War	a	1,166,564 (68%)	542,541 (32%)
LRCA	Proposal No. 4	Allow charitable organizations to conduct lotteries		903,303 (49%)	944,388 (51%)

Minnesota

See also: Minnesota 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	ConCon	Requires a 60% popular majority to ratify a new constitution	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	State exec	Permits gubernatorial appointed officials to run until the end of term	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Judiciary	Permits legislature to extend probate jurisdiction	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	Business	Authorizes legislature to limit liability of state banks	a

Montana

See also: Montana 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Admin of gov't	Creates a Board of Pardons	a
LRSS	R-56	Elections	Relates to the Presidential Primary Law	a
LRSS	R-57	Bonds	Issues a bond for the state hospital	a
LRSS	R-58	Bonds	Issues a bond for the Montana Training School	a

Nebraska

See also: Nebraska 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Gov't salaries	Removes eight year restriction from state officer salaries	d
LRCA	Amendment 2	Admin of gov't	Relates to the method for appointing members to the board of educational lands and funds	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	State exec	Changes residence requirements for executive officers	d
LRCA	Amendment 4	Property	Provides methods for determining uniform property values	a
LRCA	Amendment 5	Local gov't	Relates to the appointment of county assessors	d
LRCA	Amendment 6	Taxes	Exempts household goods from taxation	a
LRCA	Amendment 7	Taxes	Adopts a sales or income tax and prohibits a property tax	a
LRCA	Amendment 8	Admin of gov't	Relates to the appointment of the members of the tax commission	d

Nevada

See also: Nevada 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CISS	Question 1	Labor and unions	Proposes repealing the "Right to Work Law."	d
LRCA	Question 2	Constitutional language	Proposes amending the Constitution to strike the term Surveyor-General.	a
LRCA	Question 3	Constitutional language	Proposes amending the Constitution to strike the term Surveyor-General in order to eliminate from the Constitution all reference to the Office of Surveyor General as a constitutional state officer.	a
LRCA	Question 4	Constitutional language	Proposes amendment the Constitution to strike the words "an accurate statement of the receipts and expenditures of the public money shall be attached to the published laws at every regular session of the legislature" from the Constitution.	a
LRCA	Question 5	Constitutional language	Proposes amending the Constitution to provide the Legislature with the power to support and maintain public schools by direct legislative appropriation from the General Fund of the State.	a

New Hampshire

See also: New Hampshire 1954 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ABR	Constitutional Convention	Con Convention	Shall a constitutional convention be held?	a

New Jersey

See also: New Jersey 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
BI	Question 1	Bond issues on the ballot	Allows for $25 million in bonds for a state medical-dental school.	d

New York

See also: New York 1954 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRSS	Proposition 1	Bonds	Issues a $350 million bond for the construction of facilities in the Departments of Mental Hygiene, Social Welfare and Correction	a
LRSS	Proposition 2	Bonds	Issues a $200 million bond for slum clearance and low-rent housing	a

North Carolina

See also: North Carolina 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Judiciary	Provides for the retirement of supreme court justices	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Admin of gov't	Establishes a board of paroles	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Redistricting	Provides that senatorial districts consisting of one county have only one senator	d
LRCA	Amendment 4	Elections	Reduces the length of residence required for voting	a
LRCA	Amendment 5	Elections	Abolishes elections to fill certain office vacancies	a

North Dakota

See also: North Dakota 1954 ballot measures

June 29

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Referendum 1	Business	Relates to capital stocks and corporation indebtedness	a
CICA	Initiative 1	Taxes	Permits the enactment of a graduated land tax	d
CISS	Initiative 2	Legislature	Prohibits members of legislature from doing over $10,000 worth of business annually with the state or its political subdivisions	a

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CISS	Initiative 1	Taxes	Exempts food from the sales tax	d
CISS	Initiative 2	Alcohol	Sets hours of liquor establishments between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m	d
CISS	Initiative 3	Taxes	Creates one cent non-refundable motor vehicle fuel tax for rural roads	d
CISS	Initiative 4	Taxes	Diverts sales tax collected on automobiles from school and welfare funds to highway construction	d

Ohio

See also: Ohio 1954 ballot measures

November 2, 1954

Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Four-Year Terms for the State Legislature Amendment	Establish a four-year term for members of the state Senate and House of Representatives.		945,373 (47%)	1,081,099 (53%)
LRCA	Term Limits for Executive Officials Amendment	Establish four year term limits for certain executive officials and limit the governor to two successive terms.	a	1,165,650 (56%)	933,716 (44%)

Oklahoma

See also: Oklahoma 1954 ballot measures

January 26

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
VR	State Question 359	Transportation	Approves laws relating to the construction, operation and maintenance of portions of turnpikes	a
VR	State Question 360	Transportation	Approves laws relating to the construction, operation and maintenance of portions of turnpikes	a

July 6

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	State Question 358	Property	Authorizes corporations to acquire real estate	a
LRCA	State Question 362	Gov't Finances	Authorizes the investment of school funds in loans secured by first mortgages	a

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	State Question 361	Taxes	Authorizes tax and assessment charges against real property to be abated	a

Oregon

See also: Oregon 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Measure 1	Salaries	Grants the legislature power to fix the salaries of legislatures	d
LRCA	Measure 2	Redistricting	Authorizes the legislature to divide counties with more than one senator or representative into subdistricts	a
LRSS	Measure 3	Healthcare	Declares a previously authorized domiciliary hospital for the aged mentally ill to be located within a twenty-mile radius of the Multnomah County Courthouse	a
LRCA	Measure 4	Direct Democracy	Increases the number of voters’ signatures required to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot from 8% to 10% of the legal voters who voted for the justice of the Supreme Court at the previous regular election	a
LRCA	Measure 5	Taxes	Limits the maximum levy of state property tax to six mills, unless a higher levy is authorized by voters	d
CISS	Measure 6	Time	Institutes daylight saving time throughout the State of Oregon	d
CISS	Measure 7	Hunt & Fish	Prohibits fishing for salmon or trout by any method except hook and line in any coastal stream	d
CISS	Measure 8	Food & Agri	Repeals laws that regulate the production, distribution and sale of milk	a

Rhode Island

See also: Rhode Island 1954 ballot measures

November 4:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposal 1	State judiciary		a
LBM	Proposal 2	Bond issues		a
LBM	Proposal 3	Bond issues		a
LBM	Proposal 4	Bond issues		a

South Dakota

See also: South Dakota 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Pooling Lease Money	Gov't Finances	Pools lease money of school and public lands	a
LRCA	School District Debt Limit	Gov't Finances	Increases school district debt limit	a
LRCA	Succession of County Sheriffs	Local gov't	Allows county sheriffs to succeed themselves	a
LRCA	Assessment of Agricultural Lands	Property	Assesses and taxes agricultural lands	d

Texas

See also: Texas 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposition 1	Admin of gov't	Creates county-wide hospital districts	a
LRCA	Proposition 2	Elections	Prohibits members of the military from voting in counties other than the county in which they resided at the time of entering the service	a
LRCA	Proposition 3	Elections	Allows certain counties to hold elections for an assessor-collector of taxes	a
LRCA	Proposition 4	Gov't salaries	Fixes the salaries of state executive officials and legislators	a
LRCA	Proposition 5	Gov't Finances	Prohibits lending state credit to anyone associated with toll roads	a
LRCA	Proposition 6	Trials	Allows women to serve on juries	a
LRCA	Proposition 7	Term limits	Provides a four year term limit for district, county and precinct officers	a
LRCA	Proposition 8	Welfare	Increases the amount of funding used to provide assistance for the needy	a
LRCA	Proposition 9	Pension	Provides crediting for employees of public schools and the state for retirement benefits	a
LRCA	Proposition 10	Pension	Provides for agreements between the state and federal government to provide social security coverage	a
LRCA	Proposition 11	Gov't Finances	Transfers money from the Confederate Pension Fund to the State Building Fund	a

Utah

See also: Utah 1954 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
VR	Referendum A	Education	Abolish Carbon College as a state-sponsored institution	d
VR	Referendum B	Education	Discontinuation of Dixie College, Snow College and Weber College as state-sponsored institutions	d

Vermont

See also: Vermont 1954 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Article 41	Education	Joint School Maintenance by Towns Amendment	a
LRCA	Article 42	Admin of gov't	Office of Profit and Trust Under Authority of Congress Amendment	a
LRCA	Article 43	War and peace	State Militia Amendment	a

Washington

See also: Washington 1954 ballot measures

November 2, 1954

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	HJR 16	Property	Redefine "alien" to include foreign corporations, forbidding their ownership of land in the state.	a	364,382 (55%)	296,362 (45%)
ITP	Initiative 188	Business reg and Healthcare	Modify chiropractic certification requirements, by testing on chemistry and pathology and establishing a Board of Chiropractic Examiners.		320,179 (39%)	493,108 (61%)
ITP	Initiative 192	Business reg and Hunt and fish	Regulate commercial salmon harvesting, prohibiting fishing during certain times and establishing preserves where harvesting is forbidden.		237,004 (30%)	555,151 (70%)
ITP	Initiative 193	Time standards	Establish a state-wide daylight saving time from the last Sunday of April to the last Sunday of September.		370,005 (45%)	457,529 (55%)
ITP	Initiative 194	Alcohol and Business reg	Prohibit television advertising of alcoholic beverages between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.		207,746 (25%)	615,794 (75%)

Wisconsin

See also: Wisconsin 1954 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRSS	Question 1	Suffrage	Allows new residents of the state to vote for president and vice president	a
AQ	Question 2	Finance	Have a state-owned, tax-supported statewide TV station (WHA-TV)	d

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