Ballot Measures & Initiatives News

Voters in many states decide policy questions directly at the ballot box. Read Ballot Measures & Initiatives News for explanations of referendums, citizen initiatives, proposed constitutional amendments, and tax measures, including the arguments surrounding each proposal and its election outcome.
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  • analysis

    SOCIALISM ON THE BALLOT: Races to Watch in the DSA Orbit as the ‘Squad’ May Expand
    Summary Socialism is on the ballot in the midterm elections, and not just in high-profile congressional races. The Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed 255 candidates and ballot initiatives, according to the DSA’s national tracker. The candidates from around the country are running for a variety of local, state, and congressional offices. Eleven of the…
    Tyler O’Neil
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  • news

    California’s 20,000-Ballot Fight: Judges Press DOJ Over Suspected Noncitizen Voters
    Summary A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Sunday heard arguments from the Department of Justice, which argued that California should not count 20,000 ballots from voters suspected of being noncitizens until their immigration status can be verified. The appeals court did not issue a decision on Sunday, but a district judge is…
    Angelina Delfin
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  • opinion

    Want to Stop Judicial Activism? Start at the Ballot Box
    Activist judges are a huge obstacle to enacting the Trump administration’s agenda. Americans can point to case after case where a judge appears to put personal or political preferences ahead of the law. When courts stop applying the law as written and begin making policy from the bench, voters are right to ask what they…
    Michael Wilson
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  • opinion

    Education Freedom Is on Midterm Ballot 
    On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill/Working Families Tax Cuts Act into law, and it’s unfortunate that very few parents know this legislation provides the largest national expansion of K-12 education freedom in our nation’s history.  Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, a new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit provides up…
    Star Parker
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  • exclusive

    2 Weeks Before the Midterms, DC Sent Me 4 Other People’s Ballots
    Summary Two weeks ahead of the 2026 November midterm elections, which could change the balance of power in Congress, the Washington, D.C., Board of Elections sent me four strangers’ mail-in ballots. This is not a one-off. It is happening to Americans across the country. Early voting has already begun for the midterms, and millions of…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • news

    ‘California Model’: Unusual Election Reform Divides Democrats in Deep Blue State
    Ballot measures allowing same-day voter registration and scrapping party primaries could make it easier for establishment Democrats to keep power in deep-blue Massachusetts. Voters are considering the two measures this fall. Election integrity experts have long been suspicious of Election Day voter registration, as it could flood election clerks with new registrants they can’t possibly…
    Fred Lucas
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  • exclusive

    Election Records Analysis Asserts 1,827 Removed Noncitizens Cast 7,035 Ballots in Florida Elections
    FIRST ON DAILY SIGNAL — A report from a coalition of election integrity groups in Florida asserts that noncitizens cast more than 7,000 ballots in the state between 2020 and the second quarter of 2026. The analysis by the Joint Task Force of election integrity groups, which reviewed voting records from all 67 counties, found…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    Catholic Bishop Rallies Voters to ‘Confront the Evil’ at Ballot Box
    Summary Bishop Michael Burbidge met with Catholic priests throughout the Diocese of Arlington last Thursday to reinforce the importance of defeating two constitutional amendments on the Virginia ballot. The proposed amendments have prompted an unprecedented effort by Burbidge to raise awareness among Virginia Catholics. Question 1 would expand abortion access throughout pregnancy while undermining parental…
    Robert B. Bluey
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  • opinion

    The RNC Is Ready to Protect the Ballot Box
    With fewer than 35 days until Election Day, one thing should be clear: Republicans are ready to protect the ballot box. Election integrity isn’t something you build in the final weeks of a campaign. It takes years of preparation, a nationwide infrastructure, and a commitment to ensuring that only legal votes are counted and election…
    Joe Gruters
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  • analysis

    The Real Reason Some States Still Count Votes for Weeks
    Summary Florida was the laughingstock of America in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election, when hanging chads and ongoing lawsuits delayed the outcome of the race by 36 days. More than a quarter-century later, the Sunshine State is now a model for how to conduct elections. Florida earned the distinction of ranking fifth on…
    Robert B. Bluey
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  • exclusive

    Election Watchdog Says System Allowed 600 Duplicate Absentee Ballots in Michigan
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—An election watchdog in Michigan says it identified more than 600 cases of absentee ballots that were sent to the same voters at least twice ahead of the November election. Check My Vote shared the information with the Daily Signal from a statewide analysis, finding 668 ballots sent twice to people…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    250 Ballots in Amazon Package Prompts Maine GOP Leader’s Skepticism About Expanded Mail Voting
    Maine expanded mail-in voting during one of the most closely watched U.S. Senate races in the country, just a year after 250 mail ballots ended up in an Amazon package. Early in-person voting and “no excuse” absentee voting—in which ballots can be mailed in even if voters are not sick or out of town—begin Oct….
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    Catholic Bishop Calls for Month of Fasting and Prayer to Defeat Virginia Ballot Measures
    Bishop Michael Burbidge is asking Catholics to spend October fasting and praying to defeat two proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution. In a video posted Tuesday, Burbidge asked Catholics to observe two weekly disciplines during the month. On Fridays, he asked them to pray the Stations of the Cross and to fast—eating only one full…
    Robert B. Bluey
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  • exclusive

    End of the Clipboard? Activists Say Going Digital Could Get Fraud Out of Citizen-Led Ballot Measures
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A conservative group advocating greater use of citizen ballot initiatives has created a platform to allow secure digital signatures to replace traditional handwritten signatures, arguing technology could lower the cost of petition drives and reduce fraud. The Prosperity for US Foundation contends that modernizing petition laws to permit verified and authenticated…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    Former Mail Carrier Accused of Dumping Hundreds of Mail-In Ballots Ahead of Primary
    The Justice Department unsealed an indictment against a former U.S. Postal Service worker accusing him of tossing about 300 mail-in ballots into a dumpster ahead of the June Utah primary. Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 16. The indictment was sealed. He was arrested and…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    Early Voting Underway in Virginia With Senate Race, 11 House Seats on Ballot
    As of Friday, early voting is underway in Virginia, and voters can cast ballots in person through Halloween ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms. Among other key races in the commonwealth, Democrat Sen. Mark Warner is seeking a fourth term against Republican Bert Mizusawa, a retired U.S. Army major general. In addition, all 11 congressional…
    Rich Tucker
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  • news

    Secret Ballot at Risk: Unpacking Technology’s Hidden Dangers
    Researchers are warning that rapid growth in artificial intelligence is making it essential to properly respond to a flaw in the state of Georgia’s voting equipment that makes it possible for voters to be tied to their ballots after voting. This vulnerability is especially important as ballot privacy is a right under the state’s constitution….
    Rebecca Buis
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  • news

    Ballot Harvesting Concerns in Nursing Homes Spur New Push to Protect Vulnerable Seniors
    As the Trump administration seeks to crack down on potential voter fraud in nursing homes, an election watchdog group is providing additional information to long-term care facilities, citing several past criminal cases involving political operatives and staff who took advantage of vulnerable elderly residents. A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services memo from late July…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules on Trump Mail-In Ballot Rules
    The Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump’s mail-in ballot rules to go into effect Monday, upholding a federal judge’s preliminary injunction blocking them. “The government is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the district court’s preliminary injunction,” the court ruled in an unsigned order. The court ruled that “the equitable factors…
    Tyler O’Neil
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  • news

    Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks USPS Mail-Ballot Rule in Major Election Case
    A Donald Trump-appointed judge blocked the mail-in ballot rule issued by the U.S. Postal Service last month, asserting the USPS likely exceeded its authority. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols of the District of Columbia issued an opinion late Sunday night that found the Postal Service rule would “exceed any conception of the outer bounds” of…
    Fred Lucas
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