What’s on the Nov. 3 ballot? Voters in 39 states to weigh in on wealth taxes, abortion and more
by Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesA California “wealth tax” on billionaires. A repeal of a guaranteed right to abortion in Missouri. New curbs on traffic photo enforcement, including Flock cameras, in Arizona.
These are just a few of the straight-to-voter questions on the Nov. 3 ballots across the U.S.
Thirty-nine states will put at least one ballot question before voters, and many will weigh multiple measures, according to a tally by the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
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States will consider redistricting and changes to how they conduct elections. Taxes and transgender policy are prominent, too.
The California wealth tax, known as Proposition 40, is divisive.
Fewer than half of voters, 45%, support it and 43% oppose it, according to a September poll from Politico and the Jack Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of California, Berkeley.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat eyeing a run for president in 2028, opposes the one-time wealth tax and supports Proposition 42, a competing measure that would nullify the wealth tax if it passes by a greater margin.
However, Mr. Newsom proposed a nationwide wealth tax on those worth more than $100 million, hoping to avoid state-level taxes that rich people could dodge by moving around the country.
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The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West is driving support for the California wealth tax. The union says the tax is necessary to restore fairness and fund health programs.
“The billionaires think people are stupid. They got big tax breaks. Californians got big healthcare cuts. The billionaires pay lower tax rates than the rest of us and are willing to do almost anything to avoid paying their fair share,” the union said in response to attacks against Proposition 40.
In contrast, Washington State is asking voters whether to repeal a millionaire’s tax.
Ken Jennings, a Washington native and host of “Jeopardy!,” is urging voters to reject the measure.
“Did you know Initiative 645 would give millionaires and billionaires a $13 billion tax break?” he says in a 30-second ad. “It doesn’t take a quiz show host to know 645 is wrong for Washington.”
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Alaska will decide whether to scrap the ranked-choice voting system that voters approved in 2020 and return to a traditional system with partisan primaries and a general election in which the highest vote-getter wins.
In ranked-choice voting, if no candidate wins a majority, the lowest vote-getter is eliminated. People who voted for the eliminated person as their first choice have their votes reallocated to their second choices.
The tabulation process continues in rounds until two choices remain. The highest vote-getter wins.
President Trump recently complained that three Republicans are running against one Democrat in the Alaska governor’s race.
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“What is that all about? How stupid are we to do this?” Mr. Trump said on social media. “On top of it all, we have the Corrupt Ranked Choice System of Voting, which shouldn’t be allowed in our Country and will, hopefully, be repealed in the November Vote!”
Elsewhere, Missouri will weigh Amendment 3, a measure that gives state voters a chance to restrict abortion after the Supreme Court opened the door to state restrictions in its landmark Dobbs decision.
Voters approved a measure two years ago to guarantee the right to “reproductive freedom,” including abortion.
This year’s pro-life amendment would reverse that move and prohibit abortion except in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape or incest.
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Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, both Republicans, support Amendment 3 as a good way to avoid all-or-nothing options.
“I think Missourians had two extreme options before – either every abortion was illegal, or every abortion was legal. Nobody’s ever given them the choice for this middle ground,” Ms. Hanaway told The Washington Times. “Missouri is not a particularly extremist state. They prefer a middle ground, and I think that this is a real middle ground.”
She said her side is combating deep-pocketed groups from outside the state.
“It’s kind of all the usual suspects on both sides,” Ms. Hanaway said.
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Nebraskans will decide whether to let people wager on sports through internet-based platforms offered by authorized gaming operators. If voters approve the measure, Nebraska would join over 30 states that have legalized online sports gambling.
Proponents say gambling revenue will go toward property tax relief. Critics say the relief is nominal and personal gambling losses will lead to reduced consumer credit scores, more consumer bankruptcies and higher auto loan delinquency rates.
In Arizona, a group called Yes on Prop 319 wants to require voter approval of traffic photo enforcement systems, which often use automated license plate readers.
The campaign joins growing suspicion of the cameras and whether Flock cameras and other detection methods amount to nonconsensual mass surveillance.
“Simple steps, including radar-operated speed reminders, installing more street signs in school zones, and traffic-calming road design, also make a big difference in preventing road accidents and deaths,” Yes on Prop 319 says on its website.
Groups such as AAA Arizona and the Arizona Public Health Association want residents to reject the measure. They say it goes too far because it would apply to red-light cameras.
Some states will vote on one-of-a-kind ballot measures that do not fit a national trend.
In Alabama, a ballot measure would require all public schools to broadcast or perform the first stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner at least once per week.
State Sen. Gerald Allen, a Republican who sponsored the effort, said hearing and performing the anthem would bolster national unity.
“By taking a small but intentional step each week, we can create opportunities for students to reflect on our shared history and the principles that continue to shape our nation,” he said. “My hope is that this measure will help foster a renewed appreciation for America and remind future generations that, despite our differences, we remain united by the freedoms and ideals we share.”
Amendment 85 in Colorado is a ballot question about ballot questions. It says they should be written at an eighth-grade reading level.
“Too many voters are stuck guessing what they are voting on,” the Yes on Amendment 85 website says. “You should NOT need to be a lawyer to understand your ballot.”
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Tom Howell Jr.
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