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Elections
Election Day 2016: Top 5 Ballot Measures to Watch
Right now we all hear a lot of “Hillary Clinton this,” “Donald Trump that.” Love or hate Donald and Hillary, the 2016 presidential election has dominated our newsfeeds and happy hour conversations. And don’t get me wrong--the presidential election is incredibly important. But many of the laws that affect us on a day-to-day basis are made at the state level, often by our state legislators, but also by us, the American people. States give voters the opportunity to weigh in on important questions, and in some cases directly impact our state's laws through ballot measures. And there's a bunch up for grabs this year that millennials should be paying attention to. Learn more about ballot measures, and Law Street's picks for the top five types of ballot measures we should all be paying attention to below.
What is a Ballot Measure?
Generally speaking, a ballot measure is a public vote on a proposed issue or question that voters get to weigh in on. Rules about ballot measures vary from state to state and there are a few different ways that ballot measures end up on the ballot. One type, a ballot initiative, requires signatures from citizens who want to see the question weighed by voters. Another option is legislative referral, in which the legislature puts up a law it's considering to be voted on. In some states, this process is required to pass an amendment to the state constitution.
Why Should I Care About Ballot Measures?
They give you a chance to weigh in directly on issues. America's government is, at its core, a representative democracy. We elect people to make decisions for us, and we have to accept that sometimes we don't like those decisions. We, as millennials, routinely answer in polls that we don't trust the government, the path our country is on, or our elected officials.
But ballot initiatives are different--they're a real, legitimate way to vote on issues we care about. There's not really political middlemen to deal with. They're direct democracy. Regardless of how you feel about the politicians you'll be asked to vote for in November, it's important that you make your voice heard on these issues, many of which can and likely will affect millennials.
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What States are Looking at Marijuana Legalization Measures?
There are both recreational and medical marijuana measures up for the vote this year. Let’s start with the medical marijuana measures:
Arkansas’s Issue 6 and Issue 7: Arkansas was supposed to have two different measures on the ballot this year. Issue 6 would legalize medical marijuana for 17 different conditions, while Issue 7 would have legalized medical marijuana for 56 different conditions. Additionally Issue 6 would designate money made via tax revenue to “technical institutes, vocational schools, workforce training” and other related programs. Issue 7 would have allocated the tax revenue money to providing low income individuals who qualify with medical marijuana. Here’s the full text of Issue 6, and here’s the full text of Issue 7. If both passed, whichever measure received more “yes” votes would have taken precedence. However, Issue 7 was recently struck from the ballot on the basis of invalid signatures.
Florida’s Amendment 2: Florida voters will vote on Amendment 2. If it passes with a supermajority vote of 60 percent, it will legalize medical marijuana for specific debilitating conditions, including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and PTSD. Here’s the full text.
Montana’s I-182: Montana’s I-182 Initiative is a bit more complicated than just legalizing medical marijuana. Medical marijuana was legalized in Montana in 2004. However, a Montana law that entered into effect this summer limited each dispensary to only three patients. Voters who vote “yes” on this initiative support repealing that limit. Here’s the full text.
North Dakota’s Initiated Statutory Measure 5: A “yes” vote on this measure would support legalizing medical marijuana for designated medical conditions, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, and epilepsy. Here’s the full text.
And the recreational marijuana measures:
Arizona’s Proposition 205: Arizona voters will vote on whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana for those over 21. There would be a 15 percent sales tax, and the revenue from that tax would go to public health and education services. Here’s the full text.
California’s Proposition 64: This measure asks voters to weigh in on whether recreational marijuana should be made legal for adults 21 and up, and sets up how marijuana would be regulated and marketed. Here’s the full text.
Maine’s Question 1: Like the other states considering the legalization of recreational marijuana, Maine is asking whether the substance should be legalized for people over the age of 21. Here’s the full text.
Massachusetts’s Question 4: A “yes” vote on this measure supports legalizing marijuana for adults in the state, and would regulate it like alcohol is currently regulated. Here’s the full text.
Nevada’s Question 2: Voters will be asked to vote on whether or not to legalize the use of recreational marijuana for adults over 21–specifically under one ounce. Here’s the full text.
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Why Should We Be Paying Attention to Marijuana Measures?
Millennials grew up in the final years of the War on Drugs–witnessing policies that largely failed on all accounts besides growing our prison populations. In the aftermath of these policies, views on marijuana are more lax than they have been in decades, particularly among young people. In 2006, 34 percent of millennials thought marijuana should be legalized, today that number stands at 71 percent. While generally, a majority of Americans think recreational marijuana should be legalized, millennials still stand out as the group with the largest legalization support.
Millennials aren’t just in favor of marijuana legalization because they want a good time though, or because they support its medical use–marijuana legalization also promises to be helpful to the still-lagging economic conditions that many millennials have to deal with. From tax revenue raised through marijuana sales to the new spike in marijuana-related businesses, benefits of marijuana legalization are wider than most people realize.
Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated to reflect that Issue 7 was stricken from the ballot in Arkansas.
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