2008 ballot measures

2008 U.S. State Ballot Measures
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In 2008, 174 statewide ballot propositions were voted on in 37 different states, including 153 ballot measures that appeared on the November 4 ballot.

Ballot measures appeared on ballots as initiatives, referenda, commission referrals, legislative referrals and automatic referrals.

Altogether, 104 propositions were approved and 70 defeated for a win/loss ratio of about 60%. Initiated measures had a lower approval rating--only about 40% of initiatives were approved.

Overview pages

Analyses

Election results

Approved / Defeated

Advocacy websites

Polls

Endorsements

Donations

Statistical summary of 2008 election results

Initiated measures

This chart includes all initiated measures on 2008 ballots, including those prior to November.

Type of ballot measure	How many on 2008 ballot?	2008 wins	2008 losses
Initiated constitutional amendment	30	12	18
Initiated state statute	38	14	24
Veto referendum	6	5	1
Total	74	31	43

Legislative and other referrals

This chart includes all referred measures on 2008 ballots, including those prior to November.

Type of ballot measure	How many on 2008 ballot?	How many won?	How many lost?
Legislatively-referred constitutional amendment	77	54	23
Legislatively-referred state statute	15	14	1
Automatic ballot referral	3	0	3
Commission referral	5	3	2
Total	100	71	29

By state

Alabama

See also: Alabama 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	State spending	Revisions in the existing Education Rainy Day Account	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Judicial reform	Establish the Shelby County Judicial Commission	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Taxes	Levy a tax on Limestone County residents that have annexed into the City of Madison	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	Admin of gov't	Municipalities that are not in Blount County may not annex territory without vote	a
LRCA	Amendment 5	Judicial reform	State legislature allowed to set court costs in Russell County	d
LRCA	Amendment 6	Admin. of gov't.	Rules about how people are chosen for the Tuskegee utility board.	a

Alaska

See also: Alaska 2008 ballot measures

August 26:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
IndISS	Measure 1	Gambling	Establishes an Alaskan Gaming Commission	d
IndISS	Measure 2	Hunting	Prohibits shooting of grizzly bears by aircraft	d
IndISS	Measure 3	Campaigns	Provides public funding for legislative campaigns	d
IndISS	Measure 4	Water	Imposes water quality standards on new large scale metallic mineral mining operations	d

November 4:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
BI	Proposition A	Bonds	Issues $315,050,000 in bonds for transportation projects	a

Arizona

See also: Arizona 2008 ballot measures

November 4, 2008

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Proposition 100	Property and Taxes	Prohibit any new tax, fee, or other assessment on the sale, purchase or other conveyance of real estate after December 31, 2007	a	1,645,119 (77%)	498,346 (23%)
CICA	Proposition 101	Healthcare	Prohibit laws that restrict a person from choosing a private health care system and establish a fine for declining health care coverage		1,048,512 (50%)	1,057,199 (50%)
LRCA	Proposition 102	LGBTQ issues and Marriage and family	Require a legally recognized union of marriage to be between one man and one woman	a	1,258,355 (56%)	980,753 (44%)
CICA	Proposition 105	Direct dem and Elections	Require an initiative measure that increases or obligates spending to be approved by a majority of voters		718,076 (34%)	1,395,200 (66%)
CISS	Proposition 200	Business reg	Provide for the indefinite continuation of the payday loan licensing program		860,607 (40%)	1,271,717 (60%)
CISS	Proposition 201	Business reg and Housing	Provide for the expansion of the rights and obligations of home buyers and seller.		467,866 (22%)	1,655,410 (78%)
CISS	Proposition 202	Immigration	Suspend business licenses for those who intentionally employ people who entered the U.S. illegally		881,576 (41%)	1,276,681 (59%)
CR	Proposition 300	Govt salaries	Provide for the increase in legislative salaries from $24,000 per year to $30,000 per year		775,069 (36%)	1,388,183 (64%)

Arkansas

See also: Arkansas 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposed Amendment 1	Elections	Concerns voter qualifications and establishes the date and time of elections	a
LRCA	Proposed Amendment 2	Legislature	Requires the general assembly to meet every year	a
CICA	Proposed Amendment 3	Lottery	Establishes a state lottery to fund college scholarships	a
CISS	Proposed Initiative 1	Marriage & family	Bans adopting or placing minors in foster care with individuals cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of marriage	aot
BI	Referred Question 1	Bonds	Issues bonds for various water, waste disposal and pollution abatement projects	a

California

See also: California 2008 ballot propositions

February 5

See also: California 2008 presidential primary election results

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CICA	Proposition 91	Transportation	Prohibits funds generated from certain gas taxes dedicated for transportation projects from being deposited into the state's general fund	d
CICA/SS	Proposition 92	Education	Changes the existing formula for community college funding; reducing the credit fee from $20 per unit to $15 per unit; and establishing independent community college districts and board of governors	d
CICA	Proposition 93	Term limits	Amends the state's term limits to limit state legislators to a maximum of 12 years in office without regard to what chamber they were serving in	d
VR	Proposition 94	Gambling	Upholds or rejects an amendment to the gaming compact between the state and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians to allow them to operate an additional 5,500 slot machines and require the tribe to pay $42.5 million and a portion of the additional slot revenue to the state	a
VR	Proposition 95	Gambling	Upholds or rejects an amendment to the gaming compact between the state and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians to allow them to operate an additional 5,500 slot machines and require the tribe to pay $36.7 million and a portion of the additional slot revenue to the state	a
VR	Proposition 96	Gambling	Upholds or rejects a gaming compact enacted in early 2007 between the state of California and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation	a
VR	Proposition 97	Gambling	Upholds or rejects an amendment to the gaming compact between the state and the Aqua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to allow them to operate an additional 3,000 slot machines and require the tribe to pay $23.4 million and a portion of the additional slot revenue to the state	a

June 3

• See June 3, 2008 ballot measures in California for local ballot measures (cities, counties, school districts).
• Ballotpedia's complete list of June 3 election results.

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CICA	Proposition 98	Eminent domain	Places limits on the power of government to take property from one private owner through the process of eminent domain and give it to another private owner; prohibiting any future rent control measures; phases out rent control measures enacted prior to January 2007s	d
CICA	Proposition 99	Eminent domain	Prohibits state and local governments from acquiring an owner-occupied residence for the purpose of conveying it to another person with certain listed exceptions, including, "protecting public health and safety; preventing serious, repeated criminal activity; responding to an emergency; or remedying environmental contamination that poses a threat to public health and safety"	a

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
BI	Proposition 1A	Bonds	Authorizes $9.95 in bonds for high-speed rail	a
CISS	Proposition 2	Animal rights	Establishes minimum space requirements based on square feet for calves raised for veal, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens	a
CISS	Proposition 3	Bonds	Issues $980 million in bonds for children's hospitals	a
CICA	Proposition 4	Abortion	Requires parental notification before a minor can receive an abortion	d
CISS	Proposition 5	Law enforcement	Changes to drug crime policy, sentencing, and rehabilitation programs	d
CISS	Proposition 6	Law enforcement	Changes to gang-related criminal laws, law enforcement funding, and parole agent caseloads	d
CISS	Proposition 7	Environment	Changes the state's renewable portfolio standards	d
CICA	Proposition 8	Marriage	Defines marriage as between one man and one woman, thus reversing a state judicial ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in California	aot
CICA/SS	Proposition 9	Law enforcement	Adds specific rights of crime victims, together known as Marsy's Law, to the California Constitution	a
CISS	Proposition 10	Environment	Authorizes the state to issue $5 billion in bonds for alternative fuel projects	d
CICA/SS	Proposition 11	Redistricting	Transfers the legislative redistricting power from elected representatives to a 14 member commission; establishes a process for selecting commissioners; and requiring a supermajority vote to approve redistricting map	a
BI	Proposition 12	Bonds	Issues $900 million in bonds to provide loans to veterans to purchase homes or farms	a

Colorado

See also: Colorado 2008 ballot measures

November 4, 2008

Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
CICA	Amendment 46	Establish that the state may not discriminate or give preferential treatment to anyone on the basis of a variety of characteristics.		1,102,046 (49%)	1,138,134 (51%)
CICA	Amendment 47	Prohibit the requirement that one be a member of a labor union as a condition of their employment.		1,003,056 (44%)	1,282,501 (56%)
CICA	Amendment 48	Define "person" as "includ[ing] any human being from the moment of fertilization,"		618,779 (27%)	1,691,237 (73%)
CICA	Amendment 49	Prohibit public employee paycheck deductions with certain exceptions.		882,428 (39%)	1,366,620 (61%)
CICA	Amendment 50	Amend regulations related to gambling operations and amend provisions related to the taxes collected through the gaming tax.	a	1,330,566 (59%)	936,254 (41%)
CISS	Amendment 51	Increase the state sales tax and use funds from the sales tax increase to fund services for people with developmental disabilities.		853,211 (38%)	1,414,065 (62%)
CICA	Amendment 52	Apportion some taxes collected from companies that extract nonrenewable natural resources (the severance tax) to highway projects.		790,124 (36%)	1,418,009 (64%)
CICA	Amendment 54	Establish limitations on campaign contributions for government contractors.	a	1,130,098 (51%)	1,076,694 (49%)
CISS	Amendment 58	Increase the tax on companies that extract nonrenewable natural resources (a severance tax) and use these funds for specific purposes.		944,191 (42%)	1,306,782 (58%)
CICA	Amendment 59	Spend excess funds collected by the state to be spent on public education.		1,010,409 (46%)	1,201,220 (54%)
LRCA	Referendum L	Lower the age from serving in the state legislature from 25 to 21.		1,010,896 (47%)	1,162,296 (53%)
LRCA	Referendum M	Remove an obsolete constitutional provision relating to land value increases.	a	1,307,770 (62%)	792,678 (38%)
LRCA	Referendum N	Repeal obsolete provisions relating to alcohol.	a	1,449,383 (69%)	658,684 (31%)
LRCA	Referendum O	Adjust provisions relating to putting citizens' initiatives on the ballot.		1,004,925 (47%)	1,110,877 (53%)

Connecticut

See also: Connecticut 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ConCon	Question 1	Elections	Asks voters whether they want a constitutional convention to take place	d
LRCA	Question 2	Elections	Lowers age for voting in primaries to 17	a

Florida

See also: Florida 2008 ballot measures

January 29

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Taxes	Provides portability to the Save Our Homes property tax cap	a

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Immigration	Deletes provisions authorizing Legislature to regulate or prohibit real estate transactions of aliens ineligible for citizenship	d
CICA	Amendment 2	Marriage	Definse marriage as the union of one man and one woman, husband and wife, no other union is valid or recognized	a
CR	Amendment 3	Taxes	Excludes certain improvements from being considered in property value assessment for taxation purposes	a
CR	Amendment 4	Taxes	Provides property tax exemptions for lands that fall under conservation laws	a
CR	Amendment 6	Taxes	Bases tax assessment of waterfront property on current use	a
CR	Amendment 8	Taxes	Authorizes counties to levy local option sales taxes for community college funding, subject to voter approval.	d

Georgia

See also: Georgia 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Forests	Reduces conservation property taxes to encourage forest preservation	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Taxes	Allows local units of government to use education property taxes to fund development projects	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Admin of gov't	Creates infrastructure development districts as authorized by local governments	d

Hawaii

See also: Hawaii 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ConCon	Question 1	Convention	Would decide whether to hold a constitutional convention	d
LRCA	Amendment 1	Admin of gov't	Would reduce the age at which someone can be elected Governor or Lt. Governor from 30 to 25 years old	d

Illinois

See also: Illinois 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ABR	Illinois Constitutional Convention	ConCon	Shall a convention be called to amend the constitution?	d

Iowa

See also: Iowa 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Elections	Provides for restrictions on voter eligibility	a

Louisiana

See also: Louisiana 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Term limits	Term limits for members of public boards and commissions	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Admin of gov't	Notice of a special legislative session must take place at least seven days before it starts	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Admin of gov't	Temporary successors to state legislators called to active military duty	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	Taxes	Allocate more of severance tax to parishes	d
LRCA	Amendment 5	Eminent domain	Transfers of special assessments	d
LRCA	Amendment 6	Eminent domain	Rules regarding state's taking of private land	d
LRCA	Amendment 7	Spending	Authorize the investment in equities of monies of the state and a political subdivision	d

Maine

See also: Maine 2008 ballot measures

June 10

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
BI	Question 1	Bond Issues	Issues $29,725,000 in bonds for water quality requirements, dam rehabilitation and transportation improvements	a

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
VR	Question 1	Taxes	Repeals tax bill to fund the Dirigo Health Plan through beverage taxes	a
IndISS	Question 2	Gambling	Allows the establishment of a casino in Oxford County	d
BI	Question 3	Water	Issues $3.4 million in bonds for drinking water and wastewater treatment facility funds	a

Maryland

See also: Maryland 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Question 1	Elections	Allows legislature to provide for early voting (within two weeks of an election)	a
LRCA	Question 2	Gambling	Authorizes adding 15,000 slot machines at five locations	a

Massachusetts

See also: Massachusetts 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
IndISS	Question 1	Taxes	Repeal state income tax	d
IndISS	Question 2	Marijuana policy	Decriminalize small amounts of marijuana	a
IndISS	Question 3	Animal rights	Prohibit (professional) dog racing	a

Michigan

See also: Michigan 2008 ballot measures

November 4, 2008

Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
IndISS	Proposal 08-1	Permit the use and growth of marijuana for medicinal purposes, with certain restrictions	a	3,006,820 (63%)	1,790,889 (37%)
CICA	Proposal 08-2	Expand the use of stem cells in research	a	2,521,026 (53%)	2,271,083 (47%)

Minnesota

See also: Minnesota 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Taxes	Increases the sales and use tax for various environment and art funds	a

Missouri

See also: Missouri 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	English	Establishes English as the official language of all governmental meetings where policy is discussed or decided.	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	Water	Amends constitution relating to storm water control finance provisions	a
CISS	Proposition A	Gambling	Provides new revenues for schools by increasing the state tax on casinos to 21% and eliminating Missouri's current $500 loss limit for individual gambling losses	a
CISS	Proposition B	Healthcare	Creates a Missouri Quality Homecare Council for recruiting, training, and stabilizing the home care workforce	a
CISS	Proposition C	Energy	Requires utility companies to use an increased amount of renewable energy	a

Montana

See also: Montana 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	C-44	Gov't Finances	Allows up to 25% of certain public funds to be invested in private corporate capital stock	d
CISS	I-155	Healthcare	Expands healthcare programs to include uninsured children	a
LRSS	LR-118	Education	Continues a tax to help support the Montana University System	a

Nebraska

See also: Nebraska 2008 ballot measures

May 13

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Gov't Finances	Permits certain cities to invest public endowment funds in the same manner as would a prudent investor	a

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Local gov't	Allows funds for municipal economic development to come from sources other than general taxes, if local voters approve	d
CICA	Measure 424	Affirm action	Prohibits race- and gender-based admissions and hiring decisions	a

Nevada

See also: Nevada 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Question 1	Voting requirements	Residency requirements for voting in Nevada	d
CICA	Question 2	Eminent domain	Government agencies prohibited from taking land from one private owner to give to another private owner	a
LRCA	Question 3	Tax exemptions	Laws governing sales and use tax exemptions	a
LRSS	Question 4	Sales tax and voter approval	Administration, collection, or enforcement on certain aircraft and aircraft components	d

New Jersey

See also: New Jersey 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Question 1	Bond issues	Voter approval required for times that government agencies borrow money	a
LRCA	Question 2	Judicial reform	Alternative ways of choosing judges for regional municipal courts	d

New Mexico

See also: New Mexico 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Elections	Allow some school boards to have 9 members; allow voting for school board by mail-in ballot	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Admin of gov't	Allow for midterm salary increases for county officers	d
LRCA	Amendment 3	Admin of gov't	Require confirmation of Cabinet Secretaries at the beginning of each term of a Governor	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	Elections	Allow school elections to be held at the same time as nonpartisan elections.	a
LRCA	Amendment 5	Admin of gov't	Governor shall fill a Lt. Gov. vacancy by appointment with consent of Senate.	a
BI	Bond Question 1	Bond issues	$14,725,000 bond for senior citizen facility improvements	a
BI	Bond Question 2	Bond issues	$11,019,000 for library acquisition	a
BI	Bond Question 3	Bond issues	$57,925,000 for health facility improvements	a
BI	Bond Question 4	Bond issues	$140,133,000 bond for higher ed and special ed enhancements	a

New York

See also: New York 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposal 1	Admin of gov't	Eliminate the current requirement that in order to qualify for additional credit on civil service examinations, disabled veterans must be receiving disability payments	a

North Dakota

See also: North Dakota 2008 ballot measures

June 3

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Constitutional Measure 1	Legislature	Removes prohibition on appointing a member of the Legislative Assembly to state offices established by the state’s constitution	d

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Constitutional Measure 1	Gov't Finances	Establishes permanent oil tax trust fund from oil and gas tax revenue exceeding 100 million dollars per biennium	d
CISS	Initiated Statutory Measure 2	Taxes	Lowers corporate income tax rates 15 percent, resident and nonresident tax rates by 50 percent	d
CISS	Initiated Statutory Measure 3	Tobacco	Establishes tobacco prevention and control advisory committee	a
CISS	Initiated Statutory Measure 4	Admin of Gov't	Makes Workforce Safety and Insurance agency director appointed by Governor	a

Ohio

See also: Ohio 2008 ballot measures

November 4, 2008

Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Issue 1	Change the signature deadline for initiatives from 90 days before the election to 125 days before the election	a	3,397,389 (69%)	1,550,365 (31%)
LRCA	Issue 2	Authorize the issuance of bonds for environmental conservation and preservation	a	3,574,294 (69%)	1,585,410 (31%)
LRCA	Issue 3	Guarantee property owners the right to make reasonable use of ground water beneath their land and on their border	a	3,631,380 (72%)	1,415,933 (28%)
VR	Issue 5	Require voters to decide whether Section 3 of H.B. 545 shall go into effect, which relates to payday lending fees, interest rates, and practices	a	3,396,968 (64%)	1,943,721 (36%)
CICA	Issue 6	Authorize construction of a casino near Southwest Ohio and distributing tax revenue from the casino to all Ohio counties		2,092,074 (38%)	3,466,574 (62%)

Oklahoma

See also: Oklahoma 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	State Question 735	Taxes	Provides an exemption for household personal property tax for certain disabled veterans	a
LRCA	State Question 741	Taxes	Requires a person or a business to file an application the first time in order to have a property tax exemption	a
LRCA	State Question 742	Hunt & fish	Gives all people of the state the right to hunt, trap, fish and take game and fish, subject to reasonable regulation	a
LRCA	State Question 743	Alcohol	Allows certain winemakers to sell directly to retail package stores and restaurants in Oklahoma	a

Oregon

See also: Oregon 2008 ballot measures

May 20:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Measure 51	Victims' rights	Enforcement of constitutional rights of crime victims	a
LRCA	Measure 52	Victims' rights	Constitutional rights of crime victims	a
LRCA	Measure 53	Judiciary	Provisions governing civil forfeitures related to crimes	a

November 4:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Measure 54	Elections	Voting eligibility for school board elections	a
LRCA	Measure 55	Legislatures	Operative dates of legislative redistricting	a
LRCA	Measure 56	Tax votes	Remove supermajority requirement for approving property tax votes	a
LRSS	Measure 57	Law enforcement	Sentences for drug trafficking, theft against elderly, and specific repeat property and identity theft crimes, more.	a
CISS	Measure 58	Education	Requires english immersion for non-english speaking students	d
CISS	Measure 59	Taxes	Federal income taxes fully deductible on state return	d
CISS	Measure 60	Education	"Teacher compensation must be based on classroom performance"	d
CISS	Measure 61	Judiciary	"Mandatory sentences for drug dealers, identity thieves, burglars and car thieves"	d
CICA	Measure 62	State budget	"15% of lottery profits for crime prevention, investigation and prosecution"	d
CISS	Measure 63	Property	Minor improvements to property without building permit	d
CISS	Measure 64	Labor	Prohibit taxpayer-funded resources to collect political funds	d
CISS	Measure 65	Elections	Voters able to vote in all state and local partisan elections, regardless of party affiliation.	d

Pennsylvania

See also: Pennsylvania 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
BI	Water Infrastructure Bond Measure	Bonds	Issues $400 million in bonds give direct grants and loans to municipalities for sewer and water improvements	a

Rhode Island

See also: Rhode Island 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LBM	State Question 1	Bond issues	Authorize the Rhode Island state government to borrow $87,215,000 for improvements to infrastructure	a
LBM	State Question 2	Bond issues	Authorize the Rhode Island state government to borrow $2,500,000 in order to buy land for open space, recreation, and conservation	a

South Carolina

See also: South Carolina 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Constitutional language	Age of consent	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Public finance	State gov't employee retirement funds and equity securities	d
LRCA	Amendment 3	Public finance	Local gov't employee retirement funds and equity securities	d

South Dakota

See also: South Dakota 2008 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment G	Legislature	Repeals certain reimbursement restrictions for travel by legislators.	d
LRCA	Amendment H	Business reg	Repeals certain provisions of the State Constitution relating to corporations.	d
LRCA	Amendment I	Legislature	Provides for a maximum of forty legislative days each year.	a
LRCA	Amendment J	Term limits	Eliminates term limits for legislators.	d
CISS	Initiative 9	Business reg	Regulates the purchase and sale of securities	d
CISS	Initiative 10	Elections	Places prohibitions and limitations on lobbying and campaigning practices	d
CISS	Initiative 11	Abortion	Places restrictions on abortion	d

Utah

See also: Utah 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment A	Admin. of gov't.	Revises Executive Officer succession provisions	a
LRCA	Amendment B	State budget	Permanent state trust fund	a
LRCA	Amendment C	State legislature	Changes beginning of state legislative sessions from third Monday in January to fourth Monday in January	a
LRCA	Amendment D	Redistricting	Clarifies when the legislature can divide state into districts.	a
LRCA	Amendment E	State budget	Authorizes the state to subscribe to stocks and bonds.	a

Washington

See also: Washington 2008 ballot measures

November 4, 2008

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
ITP	Initiative 1000	Assisted death	Permit mentally competent, terminally ill adults to request and self-administer a lethal overdose of prescribed medication.	a	1,715,219 (58%)	1,251,255 (42%)
ITP	Initiative 1029	Healthcare and Labor and unions	Require long-term care workers to be trained and certified as home care aides.	a	2,113,773 (73%)	800,733 (27%)
ITP	Initiative 985	Taxes and Transportation	Open high-occupancy vehicle lanes during specified hours and the allocation of certain revenues to traffic-flow purposes.		1,163,216 (40%)	1,744,156 (60%)

Wisconsin

See also: Wisconsin 2008 ballot measures

April 1

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Question 1	State Exec	Limits the ability of the Governor to veto words and numbers on appropriations bills	a

Wyoming

See also: Wyoming 2008 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment A	Administration of Government	Clarifies and "modernizes" the oath of office taken by elected and appointed officials	a
LRCA	Amendment B	Direct democracy measures	Change the distribution requirement for petition signatures for initiatives and referenda	d

State-by-state chart

If you click on the link below for the state you're interested in, you'll find an article listing all the ballot measures underway in that state. In turn, if you click on those links, you learn about each individual initiative--the ballot measure's status, funding, its full text, and who is supporting and opposing it.

See also: 2008 ballot initiatives by state for a discussion by state of initiated measures only.

State	Pre-Nov. initiatives	Nov. initiatives	Referenda	Pre-Nov. referrals	Nov. referrals	November total	2008 total
Alabama 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	6	6	6
Alaska 2008 ballot measures	4	0	0	0	1	1	5
Arizona 2008 ballot measures	0	6	0	0	2	8	8
Arkansas 2008 ballot measures	0	2	0	0	3	5	5
California 2008 ballot propositions	5	10	4	0	2	12	21
Colorado 2008 ballot measures	0	10	0	0	4	14	14
Connecticut 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	2	2	2
Florida 2008 ballot measures	0	1	0	1	5	6	7
Georgia 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	3	3	3
Hawaii 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	0	0	2	2	2
Idaho 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Illinois 2008 ballot measures	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
Iowa 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	1	1	1
Louisiana 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	7	7	7
Maine 2008 ballot measures	0	1	1	1	0	2	3
Maryland 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	0	0	2	2	2
Massachusetts 2008 ballot measures	0	3	0	0	0	3	3
Michigan 2008 ballot measures	0	2	0	0	0	2	2
Minnesota 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	1	1	1
Missouri 2008 ballot measures	0	3	0	0	2	5	5
Montana 2008 ballot measures	0	1	0	0	2	3	3
Nebraska 2008 ballot measures	0	1	0	1	1	2	3
Nevada 2008 ballot measures	0	1	0	0	3	4	4
New Jersey 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	2	2	2
New Mexico 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	0	0	9	9	9
New York 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	1	1	1
North Dakota 2008 ballot measures	0	3	0	1	1	4	5
Ohio 2008 ballot measures	0	1	1	0	3	5	5
Oklahoma 2008 ballot measures	0	0	0	0	4	4	4
Oregon 2008 ballot measures	0	8	0	3	4	12	15
Pennsylvania 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	1	1	1
Rhode Island 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	2	2	2
South Carolina 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	0	3	3	3
South Dakota 2008 ballot measures	0	3	0	0	4	7	7
Utah 2008 ballot measures	0	0	0	0	5	5	5
Washington 2008 ballot measures	0	3	0	0	0	3	3
Wisconsin 2008 ballot measures	NA	NA	NA	1	0	0	1
Wyoming 2008 ballot measures	0	0	0	0	2	2	2
Total	9	59	4/2	8	91	153	174

External links

• 2008 ballot update (dead link)
• Election 2008 preview (dead link) from the Initiative & Referendum Institute.
• Factbox: The 2008 ballot measures
• Ballot measure election results from CNN

Links to state voter guides

• Alabama voter guide
• Arizona voter guide
• Arkansas voter guide
• California voter guide (dead link)
• Colorado voter guide
• Georgia ballot questions
• Louisiana Guide to Constitutional Amendments (dead link)
• Maine ballot propositions
• Massachusetts ballot propositions
• Michigan ballot propositions (dead link)

Additional reading

• Social issues dominate 2008 ballot initiatives
• GOP suffering from lack of (ballot) initiative, Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2008.
• The Far Left's War on Direct Democracy, John Fund, the Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2008.
• This year's ballot initiatives
• Social issues crowd state ballots
• No Power to the People
• To defeat Obama, conservatives take the initiative
• A modern slingshot for voters
• Social initiatives on state ballots, New York Times, August 10, 2008
• Ballot measures seen as distraction in election
• 2008 state elections: What's at stake?
• Immigration issues re-surface on some state ballots
• Healthcare reform goes to voters
• From pigs to marijuana, US voters will have lots to decide
• Economy casts shadow over local ballot measures
• Guide to the 2008 ballot initiatives
• Voters to weigh in on potpourri of ballot issues
• PREVIEW: Abortion, gay marriage, animal rights on US ballot bids
• Ballot measures unlikely to change this year's tides
• A look at notable measures on the November 4 ballot (dead link)
• Ballot items may bring more budget woes