Ballot Measures 101: Will they boost voter turnout in Election 2014? How?

[Coyotl]

What is going on in your state? Will initiatives influence turnout and results?

Minimum wage and marijuana initiatives really bring out voters. So do divisive issues such as reproductive rights.

It is not too late to start an initiative, but one has to act fast given the time frame.

Here is an old article from the 2010 election with some good graphics:
Ballot measures 101: Will they boost voter turnout in Election 2010?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/2010/0909/Ballot-measures-101-Will-they-boost-voter-turnout-in-Election-2010

What are the different types of ballot questions?

There are two basic kinds of state ballot questions: referendums and initiatives. Referendums are votes of confidence in laws that have already been passed by a state legislature and signed by the governor. Certain actions, such as passing state constitutional amendments or bond measures, often trigger voter referendums automatically. All 50 states call for automatic referendums in some cases. However, citizens of 23 states can also petition for a referendum to overturn any law, provided they do so within a certain time frame after the law's passage. South Dakota has the only "popular referendum" of 2010: an effort to overturn the state's ban on smoking in casinos.

In addition to referendums, voters in a different group of 24 states can put initiatives on their ballots. (This group of 24 largely overlaps with the 23 states that have popular referendums, though they differ slightly.) While referendums are limited to subjects already taken up by a legislature, initiatives are completely set in motion by private citizens (a designation that includes interest groups and other powerful lobbies). If a group can gather the required number of signatures in support of its initiative by the state deadline, then its measure will appear on the state's ballot.

[Coyotl]

1. Voter turnout: the 6 states that rank highest, and why

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/2012/1106/Voter-turnout-the-6-states-that-rank-highest-and-why/Oregon


Oregon did away with in-person voting in 1998.

Voter turnout: the 6 states that rank highest, and why

Which state will have the highest voter turnout on Nov. 6? History suggests it will be one of the following six.

Using data from the United States Elections Project at George Mason University in Virginia, the Monitor ranked the states by their average turnout as a percentage of eligible voters (the voting age population excluding ineligible felons and noncitizens) for the past six elections.

On average, about half (51.6 percent) of eligible US voters cast ballots, but six states averaged more than 60 percent. The policies and attitudes in these states may hold lessons for those trying to get out the vote around the country.

Here is a countdown to the top states in voter turnout.

6. Oregon is one of two states that employ a vote-by-mail only system.

.............

[Coyotl]

2. 1. Minnesota, 2. Maine

1. Minnesota

The third Upper Midwest state on the list, Minnesota has had the highest voter turnout in 12 of the past 16 elections, including the past eight straight. Minnesota’s average eligible voter turnout in the past six elections – 67.6 percent – is 16.4 percentage points higher than the national average.

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie attributes the state’s consistently high rating to state policies and an emphasis on reducing barriers to voting access.

The most effective policy is same-day registration, Ritchie says.

“It’s clearly a critical factor,” he says. “Election Day registration can increase voter turnout by 500,000 people in a presidential election year. And more than 60 percent of Minnesotans have taken advantage of it in their lifetime.” ..............

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/2012/1106/Voter-turnout-the-6-states-that-rank-highest-and-why/Minnesota

2. Maine

Maine was the first state to institute same-day registration in 1973, which is a main reason for its 62.1 percent average turnout.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/2012/1106/Voter-turnout-the-6-states-that-rank-highest-and-why/Maine

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. The Florida medical marijuana initiative is designed to generate voters for Christ.

The campaign for it was basically paid for by Florida attorney and Christ ally John Morgan. Smart move.

If Oregon manages to get a legalization initiative on the ballot, that will bring out more progressive voters there, too.

We'll probably see legalization initiatives in the 2016 presidential election year in California, Arizona, Nevada, maybe Montana.

[Coyotl]

4. kicking