2024 ballot measures

2024 U.S. state ballot measures
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For 2024, 159 statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in 41 states.

• On November 5, voters in 41 states decided on 146 statewide ballot measures. Voters approved 93 and rejected 53.
• On December 7, voters in Louisiana approved four constitutional amendments.
• Earlier in 2024, voters in five states decided on nine ballot measures. Voters approved five and rejected four of these measures.

From 2010 to 2022, the average number of statewide ballot measures in an even-numbered year was 161.

Looking for ballot measure election results? View the complete list of state ballot measure election results here. The following pages provide election results and context for specific ballot measure topics and trends:

• Results for abortion-related ballot measures, 2024
• Results for education and school choice ballot measures, 2024
• Results for marijuana and psychedelics ballot measures, 2024
• Results for ranked-choice voting (RCV) and electoral system ballot measures, 2024
• Results for voting-related and noncitizen voting ballot measures, 2024
• Results for minimum wage and labor-related ballot measures, 2024

Ballotpedia also covered local ballot measures for the 100 largest cities in the U.S., for state capitals, and throughout California, as well as a measure for Puerto Rico.

This page contains the following information:

• Trends in 2024
• Comparison to prior years
• Overview of campaign contributions
• List of state ballot measure election dates
• List of state ballot measures
• Information on local ballot measures
• Information on territory ballot measures

Trends in 2024

Topics

Abortion

See also: Results for abortion-related ballot measures, 2024

Abortion has been a topic for statewide ballot measures since the 1970s. However, in 2022, following Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a then-record number of abortion-related measures were on the ballot, including three from campaigns that described themselves as pro-choice or pro-reproductive rights. In 2023, voters in Ohio approved Issue 1.

On November 5, voters decided on 11 abortion-related ballot measures—the most on record for a single year. Ten addressed state constitutional rights to abortion. Voters approved seven of them in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New York, and Nevada. Voters rejected three in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota. One, in Nebraska, limited the timeframe for when an abortion can be performed.

Both Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and former President Donald Trump (R) commented on the ballot measure trend. Harris said, “Since Roe was overturned, every time reproductive freedom has been on the ballot, the people of America voted for freedom. From Kansas to California to Kentucky, in Michigan, Montana, Vermont, and Ohio, the people of America voted for freedom.” Harris endorsed several of the right-to-abortion ballot initiatives in 2024. Trump said, "But the people of Ohio decided. The people of Kansas decided. The people are now deciding, and it's taken it off the shoulders of the federal government. Always, they wanted it to be decided by the states, and Roe v. Wade didn't do that. It put it into the federal government. So, now, states are voting on it." Trump, a resident of Florida, said he will vote "no" on Florida Amendment 4, which would provide a state constitutional right to abortion.

State	Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
AZ	CICA	Proposition 139	Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion	a	2,000,287 (62%)	1,246,202 (38%)
CO	CICA	Amendment 79	Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion and repeal provision banning the use of public funds for abortions	a	1,921,593 (62%)	1,179,261 (38%)
FL	CICA	Amendment 4	Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability		6,070,758 (57%)	4,548,379 (43%)
MD	LRCA	Question 1	Provide for a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom, defined to include abortion	a	2,199,319 (76%)	692,219 (24%)
MO	CICA	Amendment 3	Provide for a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom, defined to include abortion	a	1,538,659 (52%)	1,443,022 (48%)
MT	CICA	CI-128	Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability	a	345,070 (58%)	252,300 (42%)
NE	CICA	Initiative 434	Prohibit abortion after the first trimester, except in cases of medical emergencies or if the pregnancy is the result of sexual assault or incest	a	509,288 (55%)	417,624 (45%)
NE	CICA	Initiative 439	Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability		455,184 (49%)	473,652 (51%)
NV	CICA	Question 6	Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability	a	905,170 (64%)	501,232 (36%)
NY	LRCA	Proposal 1	Provide that people cannot be denied rights based on their "ethnicity, national origin, age, and disability" or "sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy"	a	4,757,097 (62%)	2,857,663 (38%)
SD	CICA	Constitutional Amendment G	Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion with a trimester framework for regulations		176,809 (41%)	250,136 (59%)

Citizenship

See also: Results for voting-related and noncitizen voting ballot measures, 2024

Bans on noncitizen voting at the state level had become more frequent since 2018. Voters in six states approved ballot measures banning noncitizen voting from 2018 to 2022. In 2024, eight state legislatures referred constitutional amendments to the ballot to prohibit the state or local governments from allowing noncitizen voting. The eight states were Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Voters approved each constitutional amendment.

Jack Tomczak, Vice President of Americans for Citizen Voting, which supported the ballot measures, said, "We, and legislators who sponsor these, are getting ahead of fixing a problem that maybe has not reared its head as much in these states. It’s not like it’s happening everywhere and it must be stopped immediately. But preemption is not a bad thing." Jonathan Diaz, Director of Voting Advocacy for the Campaign Legal Center, said, "These proposed constitutional amendments are aimed really at two things: preventing local governments in those states from allowing non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections, and advancing this false narrative that non-U.S. citizens are somehow participating in U.S. elections in large numbers, which is totally unsupported by any evidence or facts."

As of 2024, municipalities in California, Maryland, and Vermont, along with Washington, D.C., allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections. In November, voters in Santa Ana, California, decided on a ballot measure to allow noncitizens to vote in municipal elections.

In 1996, Congress passed legislation making noncitizen voting in federal elections a crime.

State	Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
IA	LRCA	Amendment 1	Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote and allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the general election to vote in primary elections	a	1,150,332 (77%)	341,034 (23%)
ID	LRCA	HJR 5	Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote	a	572,865 (65%)	309,456 (35%)
KY	LRCA	Constitutional Amendment 1	Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote	a	1,208,898 (62%)	727,515 (38%)
MO	LRCA	Amendment 7	Prohibit ranked-choice voting (RCV) and the state local and governments from allowing noncitizens to vote	a	1,966,852 (68%)	906,851 (32%)
NC	LRCA	Citizenship Requirement for Voting Amendment	Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote	a	4,184,680 (78%)	1,208,865 (22%)
OK	LRCA	State Question 834	Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote	a	1,207,520 (81%)	288,267 (19%)
SC	LRCA	Citizenship Requirement for Voting Amendment	Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote	a	1,982,956 (86%)	324,432 (14%)
WI	LRCA	Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment	Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote	a	2,272,446 (71%)	950,445 (29%)

Electoral systems

See also: Results for ranked-choice voting (RCV) and electoral system ballot measures, 2024

The ballot initiative has played a prominent role in proposing changes to state and local electoral systems across the United States. In 2024, voters decided on a record number of statewide ballot measures on ranked-choice voting (RCV), all of which were rejected. In Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon, voters rejected measures to adopt RCV. In Alaska, voters decided on an initiative to repeal RCV, which was adopted in 2020. Voters in Washington, D.C., approved a ranked-choice voting initiative. In Missouri, voters approved a constitutional amendment that would preempt RCV.

There were other electoral system changes on the ballot, some of which could have led to the adoption of RCV. In Arizona, Proposition 140 would have replaced partisan primaries with primaries in which candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation, appear on a single ballot and a certain number advance to the general election, such as top-two or top-four primaries. Arizona Proposition 133, on the other hand, would have prohibited systems like top-two and top-four primaries, meaning Proposition 133 and Proposition 140 were competing measures. Both were rejected. In Montana, voters rejected two electoral system measures, one to adopt top-four primaries and another to require a majoritarian vote system for general elections, such as run-off elections or RCV.

In South Dakota, voters defeated Amendment H, which would have replaced partisan primaries with top-two primaries.

State	Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
AK	IndISS	Ballot Measure 2	Repeal the top-four ranked-choice voting (RCV) system that was adopted in 2020		160,230 (50%)	160,973 (50%)
AZ	LRCA	Proposition 133	Require partisan primary elections for partisan offices and prohibit primary elections where all candidates, regardless of political party affiliation, run in the same primary election, such as top-two, top-four, and top-five primaries		1,286,640 (42%)	1,763,711 (58%)
AZ	CICA	Proposition 140	Require primaries in which candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation, appear on a single ballot and a certain number advance to the general election, and require general election candidates to receive a majority of votes		1,284,176 (41%)	1,823,445 (59%)
CO	CISS	Proposition 131	Establish top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal and state offices in Colorado		1,385,060 (46%)	1,595,256 (54%)
DC	Initiative	Initiative 83	Establish ranked-choice voting for elections in Washington, D.C.	a	212,332 (73%)	78,961 (27%)
ID	CISS	Proposition 1	Establish top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal, state, and certain local offices in Idaho		269,960 (30%)	618,753 (70%)
MT	CICA	CI-126	Establish top-four primaries for federal and state offices in Montana		287,837 (49%)	300,664 (51%)
MT	CICA	CI-127	Require an electoral system in which candidates for certain offices must win a majority of the vote, rather than a plurality, to win the election		228,908 (40%)	348,805 (60%)
NV	CICA	Question 3	Establish top-five primaries and ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal and state offices in Nevada		664,011 (47%)	747,719 (53%)
OR	LRSS	Measure 117	Establish ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal and state offices in Oregon		893,668 (42%)	1,219,013 (58%)
SD	CICA	Constitutional Amendment H	Establish top-two primaries for federal, state, and certain local offices in South Dakota		141,570 (34%)	270,048 (66%)

Criminal justice

In 2024, voters in three states—Arizona, California, and Colorado—decided on ballot measures related to criminal justice, law enforcement, and police funding.

In Arizona, there were two ballot measures related to criminal justice. Both were approved. Proposition 313 required that anyone convicted of child sex trafficking must receive a sentence of life imprisonment. Proposition 314 made several changes to criminal and immigration law, including allowing police to arrest noncitizens who enter Arizona from foreign countries at locations other than official ports, allowing state judges to order deportations, and providing for a new felony offense, called sale of lethal fentanyl, among other provisions.

In California, voters approved Proposition 36, which increased penalties for certain drug crimes and theft convictions. Proposition 36 made changes to 2014's Proposition 47. The effect of Proposition 47 on criminal activities in succeeding years was a topic of debate in California.

Coloradans approved three ballot measures related to criminal justice and police funding. Amendment I removed the right to bail in cases of first-degree murder when the proof is evident or the presumption is great. Proposition 128 required that persons convicted of certain violent crimes serve more of their sentences before being eligible for parole. Proposition 130 allocated state revenue to a new fund for law enforcement recruitment, retention, training, and death benefits.

State	Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
AZ	LRSS	Proposition 313	Require that anyone convicted of child sex trafficking must receive a sentence of life imprisonment	a	2,025,608 (65%)	1,112,951 (35%)
AZ	LRSS	Proposition 314	Provide for several changes to criminal and immigration law, including allowing police to arrest noncitizens who enter Arizona from foreign countries at locations other than official ports	a	1,949,529 (63%)	1,165,237 (37%)
CA	CISS	Proposition 36	Increase penalties for certain drug crimes and theft convictions and allow a new class of crime to be called treatment-mandated felony	a	10,307,296 (68%)	4,756,612 (32%)
CO	LRCA	Amendment I	Remove the right to bail in cases of first-degree murder when the proof is evident or the presumption is great	a	2,058,063 (68%)	953,652 (32%)
CO	CISS	Proposition 128	Require that persons convicted of certain violent crimes serve more of their sentences before being eligible for parole	a	1,869,231 (62%)	1,140,284 (38%)
CO	CISS	Proposition 130	Allocate state revenue to a new fund, called the Peace Officer Training and Support Fund, for law enforcement recruitment, retention, training, and death benefits	a	1,583,118 (53%)	1,415,528 (47%)

Wages

See also: Results for minimum wage and labor-related ballot measures, 2024

Between 1996 and 2022, there were 28 ballot measures to increase a state's minimum wage. Voters approved 26 of these initiatives (92.86%) and rejected two (7.14%). Before 2024, the last time voters rejected a minimum wage increase was in 1996, when measures were defeated in Missouri and Montana.

In 2024, voters in Alaska, California, Massachusetts, and Missouri decided on minimum wage initiatives. In Alaska and Missouri, the initiatives proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, along with enacting paid sick leave requirements. In California, voters rejected an initiative to raise the state's minimum wage to $18 per hour. In Massachusetts, voters defeated a ballot measure to increase the minimum wage for tipped workers to match the general minimum wage. Voters in Nebraska approved an initiative to require paid sick leave for employees.

In Arizona, voters rejected Proposition 138, which would have allowed for tipped workers to be paid 25% less per hour than the minimum wage. The existing law allowed tipped workers to be paid $3 less than the minimum wage. In 2024, the state's minimum wage was $14.35, meaning tipped workers could earn $11.35 per hour, provided their tips bring them up to at least the minimum wage. Under Proposition 138, tipped workers could have been paid 25% less, which would have been, using the minimum wage in 2024, $10.77 per hour, as long as their combined wage and tips total at least $2 above the minimum wage.

State	Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
AK	IndISS	Ballot Measure 1	Increase the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour and require employers to provide earned paid sick leave for employees	a	183,744 (58%)	133,162 (42%)
AZ	LRCA	Proposition 138	Allow for tipped workers to be paid 25% less per hour than the minimum wage provided that the worker's total compensation was not less than the minimum wage plus $2		792,557 (25%)	2,348,023 (75%)
CA	CISS	Proposition 32	Increase the state's minimum wage to $18 per hour		7,469,803 (49%)	7,686,126 (51%)
MA	IndISS	Question 5	Increase the minimum wage for tipped employees to meet the state's standard minimum wage		1,200,980 (36%)	2,147,245 (64%)
MO	CISS	Proposition A	Increase the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour and require employers to provide earned paid sick leave for employees	a	1,693,064 (58%)	1,247,658 (42%)
NE	CISS	Initiative 436	Require employers to provide earned paid sick leave for employees	a	662,348 (75%)	225,974 (25%)

Drug use policy

See also: Results for marijuana and psychedelics ballot measures, 2024

Heading into November, marijuana was legal in 24 states and D.C. Of those 24 states, 13 and D.C. had legalized marijuana through the ballot measure process. In 2024, three more states rejected marijuana legalization ballot measures: Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Voters in North Dakota and South Dakota decided on legalization initiatives for the third time, after previous defeats or, in South Dakota, one initiative overturned in court.

In Florida, voters rejected a legalization initiative, Amendment 3. The ballot measure was one of the most expensive campaigns in 2024 and, between supporters and opponents, the most expensive marijuana-related ballot measure election on record.

Voters in Nebraska approved two ballot measures related to legalizing and regulating the medical use of marijuana in the state.

In Massachusetts, voters rejected Question 4, which would have legalized natural psychedelic substances, including psilocybin. Massachusetts was the first state to reject a psychedelics ballot measure after voters in Oregon (2020) and Colorado (2022) approved earlier measures.

State	Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
FL	CICA	Amendment 3	Legalize the recreational or personal use of marijuana		5,950,589 (56%)	4,693,524 (44%)
MA	IndISS	Question 4	Allow persons 21 years of age or older to grow, possess, and use natural psychedelic substances, as well as establish a commission to regulate the licensing of psychedelic substances and services		1,444,812 (43%)	1,902,527 (57%)
ND	CISS	Initiated Measure 5	Legalize the recreational or personal use of marijuana		172,174 (47%)	190,548 (53%)
NE	CISS	Initiative 437	Legalize the medical use of marijuana in the state	a	637,126 (71%)	259,643 (29%)
NE	CISS	Initiative 438	Establish the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to regulate the state's medical marijuana program	a	600,481 (67%)	291,867 (33%)
SD	CISS	Initiated Measure 29	Legalize the recreational or personal use of marijuana		189,916 (44%)	237,228 (56%)

Other topics

There were also several smaller trends, each involving three measures, including changes to the ballot initiative process, same-sex marriage, and school choice, defined as programs that provide taxpayer funding for private education or homeschooling.

• Initiatives: Voters rejected the ballot measures to change initiative processes. In Arizona, Proposition 134 would have introduced a signature distribution requirement for ballot initiatives based on legislative districts, and Proposition 136 would have provided that lawsuits challenging whether a voter-initiated ballot measure is constitutional could be filed before the election. In North Dakota, Measure 2 would have established a single-subject rule for initiatives, increased the signature requirement for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments, and required that voters approve citizen-initiated constitutional amendments twice.

• Same-sex marriage: Voters in California, Colorado, and Hawaii approved constitutional amendments to repeal bans or limits on same-sex marriage. Following Obergefell v. Hodges, these constitutional bans became ineffective, but, as of 2024, most remained in state constitutions.

• School choice: Voters rejected the three ballot measures related to school choice. Colorado Amendment 80 would have provided in the state constitution that "each K-12 child has the right to school choice." Kentucky Amendment 2 would have allowed the legislature to provide state funding to students outside of public schools. In Nebraska, a veto referendum overturned a bill to authorize a program to provide public funds to eligible students to attend private schools.

Types of ballot measures

From 2010 to 2022, an average of 161 statewide ballot measures—53 initiated measures and 108 referred measures—appeared on ballots in even-numbered years. An initiated measure is a proposed law that people collect signatures for to put on the ballot. A referred measure is a proposed law that a legislature or commission, or constitutional provision in the case of automatic referrals, puts on the ballot for voters to decide.

Type	2024	2022	2020	2018	2016	2014	2012	2010	Average (2010-2022)
Initiated ballot measures	57	30	43	68	76	40	61	50	53
Initiated constitutional amendments	23	11	15	26	25	8	19	17	17
Initiated state statutes	32	17	25	37	46	27	29	29	30
Veto referendums	2	2	4	5	5	5	13	5	6
Referred ballot measures	102	110	86	99	86	118	125	134	108
Legislative constitutional amendment	73	89	69	66	69	91	98	106	84
Legislative state statute	12	8	6	9	2	5	8	8	7
Commission-referred measure	0	0	0	7	0	1	0	0	1
Automatically referred measure	1	3	1	1	1	1	3	4	2
Bond issues	13	7	6	14	11	15	14	15	12
Advisory question	3	3	4	2	3	5	2	1	3
Total:	159	140	129	167	162	158	186	184	161

Campaign finance

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2024

Ballotpedia identified $1.32 billion in contributions to support or oppose statewide measures on ballots in 2024.

States with most contributions

For 2024, the following 10 states had the most ballot measure campaign contributions:

State	Measures	Contributions
California	11	$392,692,523
Florida	6	$315,394,052
Missouri	8	$108,375,382
Washington	4	$57,629,536
Arizona	13	$54,820,527
Ohio	1	$50,974,026
Nevada	7	$47,348,311
Colorado	14	$46,849,164
Massachusetts	5	$43,270,331
Massachusetts	3	$8,654,066

Measures with most contributions

For 2024, campaigns surrounding the following 10 ballot measures had received the most contributions:

Measure	Support	Opposition	Total	Outcome
Florida Amendment 3, Marijuana Legalization Initiative	$153,787,033	$33,610,084	$187,397,117	d
California Proposition 33, Prohibit State Limitations on Local Rent Control Initiative	$50,713,046	$125,063,396	$175,776,441	d
Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative	$121,766,030	$13,465,286	$135,231,316	d
California Proposition 34, Require Certain Participants in Medi-Cal Rx Program to Spend 98% of Revenues on Patient Care Initiative	$44,798,042	$16,512,317	$61,310,358	a
Missouri Amendment 2, Sports Betting Initiative	$45,550,100	$14,174,123	$59,724,222	a
California Proposition 35, Managed Care Organization Tax Authorization Initiative	$54,441,636	$0	$54,441,636	a
Ohio Issue 1, Establish the Citizens Redistricting Commission Initiative	$43,434,274	$7,539,752	$50,974,026	d
Washington Initiative 2117, Repeal Carbon Cap and Invest Program Measure	$17,440,990	$22,784,361	$40,225,351	d
Arizona Proposition 139, Right to Abortion Initiative	$36,041,280	$1,357,981	$37,399,261	a
Washington Initiative 2124, Opt-Out of Long-Term Services Insurance Program Initiative	$17,440,990	$19,062,957	$36,503,947	d

Comparison to prior years

The following graph shows the total contributions to state ballot measure committees in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. California, as the state that often has the most committee contributions, is highlighted.