Prop*50

Union referendum qualifies in Ohio

The count of measures on the ballot this November just ticked up by one, as Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted certified the signatures for a referendum vote on SB 5. SB 5 restricts collective bargaining by public employees.

This vote falls under the category of popular referendum, also sometimes called a people's veto. In a popular referendum vote, voters have the chance to approve or reject a law newly passed by the legislature. If voters reject it, the law never takes effect. If voters approve it, the law takes effect after the election. These can be confusing votes to wrap your head around. Here's the key: if a majority of Ohio voters vote "yes" on this question in November, they will approve SB 5 and the restrictions on collective bargaining will take effect. If a majority votes "no," SB 5 will be rejected and the restrictions on collective bargaining will not take effect.

The vote on SB 5 is widely seen as a preview of how the 2012 election might go in Ohio.  Republican Governor John Kasich was a supporter of SB 5, so a rejection by voters of that bill might spell trouble for Republicans in 2012 even though the governor himself isn't up for re-election until 2014.

The most recent poll on SB 5 indicates voters are likely to reject the effort to limit collective bargaining by public employee unions. Just 34% of those polled support SB 5, with 52% opposing it.

Read about the other measures on the November 2011 ballot here. Learn more about Ohio's SB 5 here.

Wisconsin Democrat survives recall attempt

Senator Dave Hansen, one of three Democrats and six Republicans targeted for recall in Wisconsin, survived his recall election yesterday and will remain in office. This was the fifth recall election in Wisconsin's history. Two of the earlier elections resulted in officials being recalled.

Recall elections for six Republicans will take place on August 9, and the elections for the two remaining Democrats facing recall will take place on August 16.

Learn more about the recall process on NCSL's website.

2011 Ballot Measures: A Preview

We typically see far fewer ballot measures in odd-year elections, and 2011 will be no exception. So far, there are 24 statewide measures on the ballot in just seven states.

Why so few? One reason is the fact that many states don't hold a statewide general election in odd years. The biggest reason, though, is that most initiative states restrict initiatives to even-year general elections.

Only five of the 24 initiative states -- Colorado, Maine, Mississippi, Ohio and Washington -- permit initiatives on odd-year general election ballots (and in Colorado, odd-year initiatives can address only revenue issues). In seven more, an initiative could theoretically appear on the ballot in an odd year, but it would require a special election. Odd-year special election votes on initiatives are rare or unheard of in those states. While technically permitted in Alaska, Missouri, Montana, and Oregon, there has never been an odd-year special election initiative vote. California and Oklahoma have each seen just seven odd-year special elections for initiatives in state history, and North Dakota four.

So while 24 measures may seem like a woefully small total after November 2010's total of 160, it's really not atypical.

Statewide Measures on the November 2011 Ballot

	2001	2003	2005	2007	2009	2011*
Initiatives	4	6	17	2	6	6
Legislative Referenda	29	15	23	30	18	18
Other Measures	0	1	1	2	26	0
Total Measures	33	22	41	34	2	24

*As of July 19, 2011; likely to change before November.

There are two measures in signature verification in Ohio and three in Washington, and one measure still circulating for signatures in Colorado. All six of these could still land on the November 2011 ballot. It is unlikely that the total will grow by more than that though, since most legislatures have already adjourned for the year.

High-profile issues on the November ballot include voter ID and abortion in Mississippi and gaming in New Jersey. For more information on the 24 measures on the ballot this November, visit NCSL's Ballot Measures Database.