USAupdated 1h ago3 min read
United States Voters Face Over 145 Ballot Initiatives, Including California’s Proposition 40
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Around 145 statewide ballot measures nationwide in 2026 midterms, per AP. Ballotpedia reports 164 statewide measures, with only six bipartisan agreements.
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Ballots as democracy tests
Voters in the United States headed to the polls for an election that Democracy Now! described as following "the most expensive election cycle in U.S. history." Chris Melody Fields Figueredo of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center said voters would be able to vote on "democracy itself," including whether they can participate in elections and how congressional districts are drawn. Fields Figueredo said the ballot initiative landscape spans "over 145 ballot initiatives" across the country, including California’s billionaire wealth tax measure known as Proposition 40.
The Democracy Now! transcript tied the campaign environment to Open Secrets projecting spending that would reach nearly $12 billion, and it cited The New York Times reporting Elon Musk had spent almost half a billion dollars, $474 million, to help Republicans keep control of the House and Senate. Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico attacked Elon Musk’s role supporting his rival, while Attorney General Ken Paxton campaigned in Allen, Texas and said Talarico was a "democratic socialist."
Abortion, redistricting, voter ID
A battle over abortion rights was playing out in several states Tuesday as voters decided 145 proposed laws and constitutional amendments, the Associated Press said via KCTV. Missouri voters were deciding whether to repeal the 2024 abortion rights amendment and replace it with a new prohibition allowing exceptions for medical emergencies and fetal anomalies, and in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, KCTV said. Redistricting measures could affect 2028 elections, with nine states using new congressional districts in the midterm elections after a spate of mid-decade redistricting encouraged by Trump, KCTV said.
Five state measures seeking voter ID mandates were on the ballot, with citizen activists placing new requirements on the ballot in California, Colorado and Nevada, and with Nevada voters needing a second vote after approval in 2024, KCTV said. Chris Melody Fields Figueredo said, "Amid rising authoritarianism, the fight for democracy is also happening through ballot initiatives," as The New Republic described voter ID rules and other measures as part of the ballot landscape.
Utilities, public power fights
Two citizen-led ballot initiatives in Michigan sought to rein in the state’s powerful electric utilities as residents pointed to controversial datacenters, high energy rates and poor electric reliability, The Guardian said. Voters statewide would consider a nation-leading ban on political donations by Michigan’s regulated utilities, while organizers in Ann Arbor proposed to banish DTE Energy by municipalizing the grid, The Guardian reported. DTE and Consumers Energy served about 80% of Michigan’s customers and the utilities supported dark money non-profits, Pacs and front groups to attack the proposals, The Guardian said.
Energy and Policy Institute researcher Karlee Weinmann said, "What we’re seeing on a number of levels is the utilities' political influence operations begin to break down" under public outrage over high bills, poor service, and lack of accountability, The Guardian quoted. Partners in Democracy MA Action supported initiatives on Election Day’s ballot for open records expansion, all-party primaries, and election day registration, and John Griffin said the goal was putting choices and power back in the hands of the voters, The Fulcrum described.