Glossary of ballot measure policy terms
From Ballotpedia
The following is a glossary of ballot measure policy terms. The bullet points include in-text links to more comprehensive pages that provide information on specific laws and context for the states.
In the United States, a ballot measure is a law, issue, or question that appears on a statewide or local ballot for voters of that jurisdiction to decide.
Terms
General
- Ballot title: A ballot title is the official language that a voter sees for a ballot measure on the ballot.
- Fiscal impact statement: A fiscal impact statement is a projection, prepared by a state official or a government agency, that evaluates how the adoption of a ballot measure would influence state finances.
- Valid signature: A valid signature on a ballot initiative petition is a signature that an election official determined meets the state or local legal standards and counts toward the minimum number of valid signatures required to place an initiative on the ballot.
- Invalid signature: An invalid signature on a ballot initiative petition is a signature that an election official determined does not meet the state or local legal standards.
- Ballot initiative signature gatherer: A ballot initiative signature gatherer, also referred to as a petition circulator, signature collector, or signature gatherer, is a person who collects signatures for citizen-initiated ballot measures.
- Electronic petition signature: An electronic petition signature is a signature that is electronically submitted, as opposed to a signature that is physically signed with ink on paper.
- Remote petition signature: A remote petition signature is a signature that is submitted remotely, as opposed to a signature that is signed in the presence of a petition circulator.
Ballot initiative policies
- See also: Ballot initiative
- Cure period: A cure period is a period of time for initiative proponents to collect additional signatures if they fall short of the required number when they submit signatures by an initial deadline.
- Filing fee: An initiative filing fee is a fee that a sponsor of an initiative or referendum must pay when submitting a proposed ballot initiative to elections officials.
- Legislative alteration: The term legislative alteration refers to when lawmakers repeal or amend citizen initiatives after voters have approved them.
- Length of signature gathering periods: Known as a circulation period, the length of a signature-gathering period is the time frame during which signatures can be gathered to place an initiative on the ballot.
- Number of signatures required: A specific number of valid signatures is required for an initiative to appear on the ballot. The exact number required is different in each state.
- Separate-vote requirement: A separate-vote requirement is a rule requiring that proposed constitutional amendments placed on statewide ballots must be decided as separate ballot questions.
- Signature distribution requirements: A signature distribution requirement, also known as a geographic signature requirement, is a law that provides that ballot initiative petitions must be signed by voters from multiple political subdivisions, such as counties or legislative districts, in order for the initiative to qualify for the ballot.
- Single-subject rule: A single-subject rule is a state law that requires ballot initiatives to address a single subject, topic, or issue.
- Subject restrictions: A subject restriction is a law that limits the scope or content of citizen initiatives.
- Supermajority requirements: A supermajority requirement is a condition for approval for certain ballot measure elections where more than a simple majority of voters must vote in favor of a ballot measure for the measre to be approved.
- Superseding initiative: A superseding initiative is the initiative that prevails when two or more conflicting initiatives are approved at the same election.
- Withdrawal of petition signatures: The withdrawal of ballot initiative petition signatures, also known as petition signature revocation, is the process in which a voter who has signed a petition can officially have his or her signature removed from the petition, so that the signature no longer counts.
- Withdrawal of qualified ballot initiatives: Some states allow proponents of a ballot initiative to withdraw the initiative after it already qualified for the ballot.
Campaign finance policies
- Foreign spending in ballot measure campaigns: There is no federal law prohibiting foreign spending in ballot measure campaigns. Therefore, state law governs foreign spending related to ballot measures.
Signature gatherer policies
- Badge requirements: A badge requirement is a rule that requires that people who collect signatures for ballot initiatives must communicate whether he or she is a paid or volunteer signature gatherer.
- Residency requirements: A residency requirement is a law that requires signature gatherers for a ballot initiative petition to be residents of the jurisdiction, such as the state, where the initiative would change the law.
- Pay-per-signature: Pay-per-signature is a method of compensating signature gatherers, also known as circulators, who collect signatures for ballot initiatives and veto referendums. The method involves paying signature gatherers at a rate based on the number of signatures collected.
Constitutional amendment policies
- See also: Constitutional amendment
- Mandatory vote about holding a statewide constitutional convention: A mandatory vote about holding a state constitutional convention is a process in which a state constitution requires a constitutional convention question to appear on the ballot at certain intervals, such as a certain number of years.
- Publication requirements: A publication requirement for constitutional amendments refers to a legal obligation to publicly disseminate information about proposed constitutional amendments.
- Separate-vote requirement: A separate-vote requirement is a rule requiring that proposed constitutional amendments placed on statewide ballots must be decided as separate ballot questions.
- Supermajority requirements: A supermajority requirement is a condition for approval for certain ballot measure elections where more than a simple majority of voters must vote in favor of a ballot measure for the measre to be approved.
Other
- Citizen-initiated grand juries: A citizen-initiated grand jury is a process that allows citizens to collect signatures to call for the formation of a criminal grand jury.
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:
See also
- Ballot measure
- Ballot initiative signature gatherer
- Changes in 2024 to laws governing ballot measures
- Changes in 2023 to laws governing ballot measures
Footnotes
