Dem
47
GOP
53
Many initiatives were on the ballot last week. The results were decidedly mixed.
Various kinds of election reform were on the ballot last week. They didn't do so well. There were initiatives in various states to eliminate partisan primaries and go with some kind of open primary and/or ranked choice voting (RCV). Proponents say that then candidates have to fight for second-place votes and if they go way out to the fringe, they won't get any of the second-place votes from the other party. In theory, this should moderate candidates. Opponents say that in California, which has a top-two open primary system, often both candidates in November are Democrats, so Republicans feel disenfranchised. They feel that only Democrats should pick the Democratic nominee and only Republicans should pick the Republican nominee. There were also some other election-related issues on the ballot in some states. Here are the major results:
| State | Proposition | For | Against | Result |
| Alaska | Repeal the top-four open RCV primary system | 51% | 49% | Not called |
| Arizona | Eliminate partisan primaries and use open primaries | 42% | 58% | Defeated |
| Arizona | Eliminate judicial elections and freeze the current Republican-dominated Supreme Court | 23% | 77% | Defeated |
| Colorado | Clone the Alaska system for state and congressional offices | 46% | 54% | Defeated |
| Connecticut | Allow the state legislature to provide for no-excuse absentee voting | 58% | 42% | Passed |
| D.C. | Allow independents to vote in primaries and use RCV for all elections | 73% | 27% | Passed |
| Idaho | Clone the Alaska system | 30% | 70% | Defeated |
| Iowa | Allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be 18 by Election Day | 77% | 23% | Passed |
| Missouri | Prohibit all elections from using RCV | 69% | 32% | Passed |
| Nevada | Create a top-five open primary with RCV for general election | 47% | 53% | Defeated |
| Ohio | Create a citizen-led redistricting commission to draw the maps | 46% | 54% | Defeated |
| Oregon | Use RCV for federal and state elections | 42% | 58% | Defeated |
| South Dakota | Clone the California top-two primary system for all elections | 34% | 66% | Defeated |
There were also initiatives on abortion and other reproductive health matters on the ballot. They did fairly well. Here are the results:
| State | Proposition | For | Against | Result |
| Florida | Provide a constitutional right to abortion before viability | 57% | 43% | Defeated (needed 60%) |
| Maryland | Provide for a right to reproductive freedom | 75% | 25% | Passed |
| Missouri | Provide an extensive right to reproductive freedom | 52% | 48% | Passed |
| Montana | Allow women to make their own decisions about pregnancies | 58% | 43% | Passed |
| Nebraska | Establish a right to abortion until viability | 49% | 51% | Defeated |
| Nebraska | Prohibit abortions past the first trimester except in special cases | 55% | 45% | Passed |
| Nevada | Allow abortion until viability and allows state law to govern afterwards | 64% | 36% | Passed |
| New York | Create broad rights relating to gender, healthcare, and more | 62% | 38% | Passed |
| South Dakota | Create a right to abortion using a trimester framework | 41% | 59% | Defeated |
In addition, there were numerous other ballot initiatives in various states. Here are some of the most noteworthy ones:
| State | Proposition | For | Against | Result |
| Alaska | Set the minimum wage at $15/hr and require paid sick leave | 57% | 43% | Passed |
| Arizona | Allow tipped workers to be paid less than the minimum wage | 26% | 74% | Defeated |
| California | Set the minimum wage at $18 and index it annually | 48% | 52% | Not called yet |
| California | Repeal Proposition 8 and legalize same-sex marriage | 62% | 38% | Passed |
| Florida | Legalize recreational marijuana | 56% | 44% | Defeated (needed 60%) |
| Massachusetts | Gradually increase the tipped minimum wage to the normal minimum wage | 36% | 64% | Defeated |
| Missouri | Raise the minimum wage to $15/hr in steps and require paid sick leave | 58% | 42% | Passed |
| North Dakota | Legalize recreational marijuana | 48% | 52% | Defeated |
| South Dakota | Legalize recreational marijuana | 44% | 56% | Defeated |
In many states there were initiatives forbidding noncitizens from voting. These were written by politicians grandstanding. Federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting. These amendments all passed but simply make the state Constitutions longer but have no other effect. (V)