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Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia
National
Ryan Byrne

Update on this year’s and next year’s ballot measure certifications

For 2024, 57 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 25 states, which is one less than the average (58) for this point in the election cycle from 2012 to 2022. The average number of statewide ballot measures certified for an even-numbered year during this period was 157.

Here’s an update on the latest ballot measure activity:

In Florida, the Divison of Elections certified that enough signatures were submitted for two initiatives: Amendment 3 and Amendment 4. This allowed them to receive positions on the ballot. However, the Florida Supreme Court must still decide whether the initiatives meet the state’s single-subject rule, have appropriate ballot language, and are not facially invalid under the U.S. Constitution.

  • Amendment 3 would legalize marijuana in Florida.
  • Amendment 4 would provide a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability.

Signatures have been submitted and are pending verification or another pre-certification action for four initiatives in Alaska, Maine, and Michigan:

In Massachusetts and Washington, enough signatures were verified for 12 indirect ballot initiatives for them to appear before their respective state legislatures: 

In Alaska, Maine, and Michigan, initiated state statutes are indirect or follow a similar process. This means the legislature has the option to pass the initiative outright. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. In Maine and Michigan, when legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide. In Alaska, the initiative is not automatically introduced into the legislature, but legislators can pass a substantively similar bill by the end of the session, which renders the initiative void. In Massachusetts, petitioners collect a second round of signatures to place the initiative on the ballot.

The most recent signature deadline for citizen-initiated ballot measures was Jan. 29, 2024, in Maine, where signatures were filed for one initiative.

The next signature deadline is Feb. 9, 2024, in Wyoming, where two initiatives have been proposed. At least 29,730 valid signatures must be filed. Wyoming also has a signature distribution requirement, which provides that a certain number of signatures must be collected from two-thirds (16) of the state’s 23 counties.

The following chart shows the number of ballot measures certified across each week of an even-numbered year.

Additional reading:

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