Prop*50

Election Results: Drugs, Tobacco and Alcohol

It has not been a good night for proponents of legalizing marijuana.  The one possible bright spot is Arizona, where a measure to legalize marijuana for medical purposes is teetering in the balance:  as of 12:25am MDT and with 92% of the ballots counted, it's got 49.7% of the vote.  The trend has been inching toward passage all night, but it has not yet topped the 50% mark:

Time	9:15pm MDT	10:02pm MDT	10:49pm MDT	12:25am MDT
% ballots counted	10%	44%	69%	92%
“Yes” vote	46.01%	49.08%	49.46%	49.70%

A medical marijuana proposal has failed to pass in South Dakota.  South Dakota has now rejected medical marijuana twice -- the first time was back in 2006, when a measure very similar to this year's proposal received 47.7% of the vote.  So far, South Dakota is the only state where voters have rejected medical marijuana.  Of course, Arizona may well become the second state tonight if that "yes" vote cannot surpass the 50% mark.

California's Proposition 19, which would have legalized the use of marijuana for anyone age 21 or older and allowed state and local governments to tax the sale of marijuana, is currently pulling just 43.6% of the vote.  Don't look for this issue to wither away though -- proponents in Colorado and Nevada are already talking about circulating petitions for the 2012 ballot.  If young people and Democrats voted in strong numbers for this measure, it will likely appear on more ballots in 2012 in an effort to sway voter turnout in Democrats' favor.

Alcohol - Voters in Massachusetts have rejected a sales tax on alcohol.  Passed by the Legislature in 2009, all of the revenue from this tax went into a fund for drug and alcohol treatment programs.  In Washington, voters appear to be rejecting both measures that proposed privatizing the sale of alcohol.  Initiative 1105 is clearly failing (that's the version that favored wholesalers).  Initiative 1100 (favoring retailers) is somewhat closer at 48.1% "yes" votes.  All but one county in Washington voted by mail yesterday, and ballots merely had to be postmarked by election day, rather than in the hands of election officials.  That means results will continue to trickle in over the next few days in Washington.  I-1100 is one that has the potential to tip in the other direction.

Tobacco - Voters have approved an expansion of South Dakota's smoking ban.

Read more about drug, alcohol and tobacco measures on NCSL's StateVote 2010 page.

 

Election Results: Animal Rights & Hunting

Voters have been largely receptive to the idea of constitutional protection for hunting and fishing rights, with measures in Arkansas, South Carolina, and Tennessee receiving affirmative votes but Arizona's measure failing.  One feature of Arizona's proposal that was unique among the four:  it would have prevented changes to laws regulating hunting and fishing via the initiative process.  This brings to 12 the number of states where voters have approved constitutional protection for the right to hunt and fish.  Arizona voters are the first to reject such a measure.

In Missouri, voters have narrowly approved the "Puppy Mill" measure, regulating dog breeders and establishing the crime of Puppy Mill Cruelty for violations.

Montana voters have agreed to a proposal to stop setting aside a certain number of hunting licenses for outfitters that cater to out-of-state hunters.   I-161 also increases the fees for certain hunting licenses, a move which is expected to bring in $700,000 over the next four years for hunting access and $1.5 million annually for habitat preservation and restoration.

In North Dakota, voters have rejected an initiative that would have outlawed the practice of charging a fee to allow a person to hunt large game inside enclosures.

While it does not deal directly with hunting, a related measure in Kansas preservers the right to keep and bear arms.

Read more about hunting and animal rights measures on NCSL's StateVote 2010 page.