Automatic ballot referral

Types of ballot measures
Initiated
• Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum
Legislative
• Legislative constitutional amendment
• Legislative state statute
• Legislative bond issue
• Advisory question
Other
• Automatic ballot referral
• Commission-referred measure
• Convention-referred amendment
Select a state from the menu below to learn more about that state's types of ballot measures.
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An automatic ballot referral is a ballot measure established under state law or a state's constitution that must appear on the ballot at certain intervals or under certain circumstances. An automatic ballot referral is considered automatic because these measures appear on the ballot without legislative votes or citizen-initiated signatures drives. This type of ballot measure is also known as an automatic ballot measure or compulsory referral.

The most common type of automatic ballot referral is state constitutional convention questions, which are required to appear on the ballot at certain intervals in some states.

State constitutional convention questions

See also: State constitutional conventions

In 14 states, a constitutional convention question is an automatic ballot referral, meaning no legislative vote is required. Rather, the state constitution includes a provision calling for the question at a specific interval. Oklahoma has a requirement; however, state officials have declined to place a question on the ballot since 1970.

State	Interval	Last question on the ballot	Next question on the ballot
Alaska	10 years	2022	2032
Iowa	10 years	2020	2030
New Hampshire	10 years	2022	2032
Rhode Island	10 years	2014	2024
Hawaii	10 years	2018	2028
Michigan	16 years	2010	2026
Connecticut	20 years	2008	2028
Illinois	20 years	2008	2028
Maryland	20 years	2010	2030
Missouri	20 years	2022	2042
Montana	20 years	2010	2030
New York	20 years	2017	2037
Ohio	20 years	2012	2032
Oklahoma	20 years	1970	N/A

Types of ballot measures

Most ballot measures are placed on the ballot through citizen initiatives or legislative processes. Others are placed on the ballot automatically, by a special commission, or by a state constitutional convention. The following is a list of different types of state ballot measures:

Types of state ballot measures

Citizen-initiated ballot measure

• Initiated constitutional amendment

• Direct initiated constitutional amendment

• Indirect initiated constitutional amendment

• Initiated state statute

• Direct initiated state statute

• Indirect initiated state statute

• Combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute

• Veto referendum

• Statute affirmation (Nevada)

Legislatively referred ballot measure

• Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

• Legislatively referred state statute

• Legislatively referred bond measure

• Advisory question

Other type of state ballot measure

• Automatic ballot referral

• Constitutional convention question

• Commission-referred ballot measure

• Convention-referred constitutional amendment

See also

• Forms of direct democracy in the American states
• Amending state constitutions
• Constitutional amendment
• State constitutional conventions
• Types of ballot measures
• Types of citizen-initiated ballot measures
• List of ballot measures by state