Ballot Initiatives Research Articles

Direct Democracy and Funding for Public Park and Recreation Services: Consumer Confidence and Support for Greenspace Ballot Initiatives

Maintaining or increasing tax-based allocations is a strategic imperative for many public park and recreation agencies. Some agencies have the capacity to do so by sponsoring ballot initiatives proposing property tax increases in support of operational and capital expenses. In this manuscript we investigate the role of beliefs about the economy in shaping perceptions of such “greenspace ballot initiatives.” Specifically, we examine whether attitudes toward, and support for, greenspace ballot initiatives vary according to an individual’s willingness to buy—operationalized as their consumer confidence. Our results indicate that—independent of income—voters with higher levels of consumer confidence feel more positively toward ballot initiatives that would raise their property taxes to support public parks and recreation, and are more likely to vote in favor of them. We conclude by discussing potential implications for decision makers and future research efforts.

Crafting effective regulatory policies for psychedelics: What can be learned from the case of cannabis?

AbstractThe turn of the century brought a resurgence of interest in psychedelics as a treatment for addiction and other psychiatric conditions, accompanied by extensive positive media attention and private equity investment. Government regulatory bodies in Australia, Israel, Canada and the United States now permit use of psychedelics for medical purposes. In the United States, citizen action and corporate financing have led to petitions and ballot initiatives to legalize psilocybin and other psychedelics for medical and recreational use. Given this momentum, policymakers must grapple with important questions that define whether and how psychedelics are made available to the public, as well as how companies produce and promote them. The current push to broaden the production, sale, and use of psychedelics bears many parallels to the movement to legalize cannabis in the United States and other nations—most notably, the use of poorly‐evidenced therapeutic claims to create a de facto recreational market via the health care system. Experience with cannabis highlights the value of debating the question of legalization for nonmedical use as such rather than misrepresenting it as a medical issue. The lessons of cannabis policy also suggest a need to challenge hyping of psychedelic research findings; to promote rigorous clinical research on dosing and potency; to minimize the influence of for‐profit industry in shaping policies to their economic advantage; and to coordinate federal, state, and local governments to regulate the manufacture, sale and distribution of psychedelic drugs (regardless of whether they are legalized for medical and/or recreational use).

Two Steps Forward and One Step Back: The Right to Opt-out of Sale under CPRA

The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) was a ballot initiative that revised the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Although often framed as expanding and enhancing privacy rights, a close analysis of textual revisions---both changes from the earlier law and changes from earlier drafts of the CPRA guidelines---suggest that the reality might be more nuanced. In this work, we identify three textual revisions that have potential to negatively impact the right to opt-out of sale under CPRA and evaluate the effect of these textual revisions using (1) a large-scale longitudinal measurement study of 25,000 websites over twelve months and (2) an experimental user study with 775 participants recruited through Prolific. We find that all revisions negatively impacted the usability, scope, and visibility of the right to opt-out of sale. Our results provide the first comprehensive evaluation of the impact of CPRA on Internet privacy. They also emphasize the importance of continued evaluation of legal requirements as guidelines and case law evolve after a law goes into effect.

Adoption of Property Tax Expenditure and Limitations by U.S. States

Property tax expenditure and limitations (TELs) are key tools used by U.S. states to control local government spending and taxing authority. This paper employs a multiple events history analysis to understand the factors influencing the adoption of county-level property tax TELs by state governments. The findings show that external factors such as policy learning, competition, imitation, and coercion play crucial roles in this process. Notably, the study reveals that higher out-migration rates and the presence of voter-based ballot initiatives significantly increase the likelihood of TEL adoption. Additionally, the spread of TELs is influenced more by national trends rather than neighboring state actions, highlighting the saliency of these policies. These findings shed light on the dynamics of policy diffusion and provide insights into the interplay between state-level decisions and local government financial autonomy. The study’s implications extend beyond public finance, offering a nuanced understanding of policy adoption and diffusion in federal systems.

The Rhetoric and the Reality of the New Southern Strategy: Courtland Cox, Nsé Ufot, and Charles V. Taylor Jr. in Conversation

Abstract: This article is an edited intergenerational conversation among Courtland Cox, a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the 1960s; Nsé Ufot, former executive director of the New Georgia Project; and Charles V. Taylor Jr., executive director of the Mississippi State NAACP, on April 7, 2023. This discussion explores key issues in today's national politics, especially the role of southern Black and Brown voters and strategists, and calls for the emergence of a New Southern Strategy. Cox drew on his work with SNCC in Lowndes County, Alabama, in the 1960s, which focused on voter registration and the development of the Lowndes County Freedom Party, while Ufot discussed her work leading the New Georgia Project as they transformed Georgia's electorate, and Taylor highlighted his work on the 2015 Better Schools, Better Jobs Ballot Initiative 42 in Mississippi.

Ensuring Equitable Access to Participation in the Electoral Process: A Policy Brief From the American College of Physicians.

During the past 2 decades, voter turnout in U.S. presidential elections has ranged from 51.7% to 66.9% of the eligible population. Low voter turnout rates and inequitable electoral institutions, such as gerrymandered districts, can skew policy decisions toward the preferences of a smaller group and further exclude individuals and communities who have been historically marginalized and excluded from decision-making processes. Voting and health are directly connected through the institution of policies by ballot initiative and the election of officials who incorporate health into their platforms. They are also indirectly connected, as civic participation connects persons to their community and empowers them with agency in decision making. In this position paper, the American College of Physicians seeks to inform physicians, medical students, and other health care professionals on the links between electoral processes and health; encourage civic participation; and offer policy recommendations to support safe and equitable access to electoral participation to advance health equity for both patients and health care professionals.

Drilling Setbacks vs Government Takings: The Case of Colorado’s 2018 Colorado Ballot Initiatives

State policymaking is at the center of many oil and gas related disputes. Driven by the promise of affordable energy, economic development, and new revenues, supporters of oil and gas have pushed for policies designed to nurture the oil and gas industry, whereas opponents have emphasized a myriad of environmental threats and disruptions. Statewide ballot initiatives related to oil gas extraction offer a particularly useful lens to examine the preferences of voters in that states are home to residents who directly and indirectly experience the promises and perils of extraction. This paper examines two ballot initiatives in Colorado from 2018, one of which was supported by the oil and gas industry; the other of which was opposed by the same industry. We find that the inclusion of natural amenities, livelihood, and population change provides a useful set of variables for further study.

The Framing of Marijuana in Black Newspapers

Recent scholarship has demonstrated a shift in media discourse about marijuana, yet few studies investigate how structural conditions influence variation in engagement with frames about marijuana. Moreover, given the long history of racialized discourse surrounding marijuana, it is surprising that scholars have not investigated framing in media produced by and for communities of color. Drawing on news articles about marijuana in regional Black newspapers in the United States from 1991 to 2016 ( n = 2,625), regression analyses reveal that structural factors like political action (e.g., ballot initiatives) and crime rates influence engagement across four unique framing domains: youth, policing, crime, and policy. I argue that, as newsworthy events, ballot initiatives provide opportunities to (re)frame marijuana as a policy issue, whereas conditions of crime shape the extent to which Black newspapers discuss marijuana as a problem impacting youth.

The effect of signing ballot petitions on turnout

ABSTRACT Do ballot initiatives increase voter turnout? Some studies find a strong impact while others find the relationship to be modest and/or conditional. Either way, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. Here, we build on past work by hypothesizing that signing a ballot petition acts as a personalized form of campaign contact, increasing the likelihood of turnout. Previous investigations have been aggregate in nature, or have had to rely on either samples of petition signers or county-level inferences. We procured the complete lists of initiative petitions signers for two recent, high-profile state ballot measures in Arkansas, among the most frequent direct democracy users among the American states. By supplementing these individual-level data with the state voter file, we assess the impact of having signed a petition, controlling for age and vote history. Our results confirm earlier findings that signing a petition increases the probability of voter turnout, especially among irregular voters. This has consequences for both candidate and initiative elections in jurisdictions that, like Arkansas, conduct both elections at the same time.

The Influence of Campaign Contribution Disclosure on Voter Support for Tax Initiatives: Evidence from Washington’s “Keep Groceries Affordable Act of 2018”

ABSTRACT We examine the effect of campaign financial disclosures on support for Washington State Initiative 1634, a ballot initiative aimed at limiting tax increases on soda. In an experimental setting, we assess the effect of financial disclosures when paired with the actual textual arguments provided to Washington State voters and the effect of financial disclosures when paired with more complementary textual arguments. We find evidence that financial disclosures influence changes in voter support for the tax initiative. Specifically, our findings indicate that disclosing the top financial contributors “for” and “against” the initiative provides decision-relevant information to voters. Thus, policymakers should consider (1) making donor disclosures freely available in voter information guides, (2) eliminating special-interest group techniques that hide the sources of contributions, and (3) erring on the side of caution when constituents seek to remove ballot-related financial reporting requirements.

Political behavior and voting for tax incentives

ABSTRACT This study looks at the factors which influence state legislators’ votes on movie production tax incentives. It investigates the relationship between votes cast by state legislators for/against movie production subsidies with respect to election results, political party, political donations, and district geographic and economic characteristics. Votes depend on incentives offered by neighbouring states, political affiliation, margin of election victory, and district unemployment. The number of movies filmed in the district prior to legislative action or political contributions to legislators from movie industry donors are not important vote determinants on this issue. Districts that voted for incentives appear to receive a greater increase in post-legislation film production than those that voted against legislation. Using statewide ballot initiatives to measure voter preferences, the data indicates that legislator votes on movie tax incentives reflect the underlying beliefs of their districts and is consistent with the median voter theorem.

Courtroom workgroup dynamics and implementation of Three Strikes reform

AbstractIn 2012, California's voters passed a ballot initiative that scaled back the state's “Three Strikes” sentencing law and permitted certain individuals who were serving 25‐to‐life prison terms to petition for resentencing and potentially release. Using analysis of original qualitative interview data supplemented with court administrative records, this study examines how characteristics of courtroom workgroup members; their intergroup dynamics; political, professional, and administrative considerations; and allocated resources were perceived by court officials to facilitate or impede the implementation of this reform in county courts. Availability of staff and budget was associated with a higher proportion of completed case dispositions in the first 2 years of implementation, but resources were not the only factor associated with timely case processing. Courtroom actors' seniority, experience, and professional security facilitated agreement on processes, schedules, and other details. Small, stable, close‐knit groups established routine procedures and developed expertise more quickly, but could not always avoid bottlenecks or delays. Less stable workgroups had higher rates of denial of petitions for resentencing. Positions toward Proposition 36 shaped by political, professional, or other priorities were perceived to influence some elected DAs' positions and line prosecutors' behavior, manifesting in cooperation, opposition, or mixed messages.

Utilizing Advocacy to Promote the Adoption and Implementation of Medicaid Policies That Increase Insurance Coverage Among Adolescents

PurposeThe Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth report recommends several Medicaid policies to increase insurance coverage among adolescents: approve Medicaid expansion; eliminate the 5-year Medicaid waiting period for lawfully present adolescent immigrants; increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for adolescent health services to the level of Medicare; and ensure coverage and sufficient reimbursement of comprehensive health services. We designed this study to identify key advocates and factors relevant to adoption and implementation of the recommended Medicaid policies in Nebraska to highlight opportunities for additional advocacy. MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews January 2022 with 28 adolescent health and health-care access experts in Nebraska, including representatives from health care, education, government, and nonprofit sectors. We recorded the interviews and transcribed them verbatim, then coded data using NVivo software and identified key themes. ResultsParticipants were unable to identify any Medicaid advocates or advocacy work focused on adolescents, but they did identify 35 organizations working to improve insurance coverage in Nebraska. Coordinated multisector, statewide coalitions secured the adoption of Medicaid expansion through a citizen-supported ballot initiative. Barriers to successful implementation include limited Medicaid outreach to citizens and lawfully present immigrants. Low state government support for increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates and providing comprehensive health services, coupled with the absence of coordinated advocacy, hinder the adoption of these recommendations. DiscussionAdvocacy efforts should be implemented to increase adoption and implementation of Medicaid policies recommended to increase adolescents' insurance coverage. These efforts must be built on a foundation of knowledge of state government practices and must utilize sustained partnership among multisector advocates, including adolescent-serving professionals.

The challenges of success: Future wolf conservation and management in the United States

Abstract Gray wolf (Canis lupus) recovery and conservation has been a remarkable success over the last 30 years in the United States. Remarkable success yields remarkable challenges, however. As populations expand, wolves will colonize more human-dominated landscapes and face numerous challenges, such as fragmented habitats, barriers to dispersal, and increased encounters with humans, pets, and livestock. In such areas, conflicts between humans and wolves will increase. We summarize several major scientific and social challenges that wolf conservation, recovery, and management will face in the coming years. In addition, we suggest actions to help address each challenge. Future wolf conservation in the United States will be affected by the ability of managers to predict colonization and dispersal dynamics, to reduce hybridization and disease transmission, to mitigate and deter wolf–livestock conflicts, to harvest wolves sustainably while satisfying diverse stakeholders, to avert a reduction in tolerance for wolves due to a disinterest in nature, and to engage diverse stakeholders in wolf conservation to avoid management by ballot initiative or legislative and judicial decrees.

For Medicinal Purposes: Whose Advice Exerts Authority on Medical Marijuana?

Citizens are embedded in legal systems in which the authority of different experts is normally given preference over citizens' opinions about medical marijuana and other medical issues. Yet, citizens may reject expert authority if they consider themselves to be competent based on their knowledge or social position. Thus, we are led to ask: In the context of direct democracy, what forms of expert authority—if any—does a historically privileged subset of citizens recognize when reasoning about medical marijuana? Our analysis is based on rich‐qualitative data that analyzes how white male citizens reason about a medical marijuana ballot initiative in Arizona. By using a comprehensive content coding of citizens' arguments about the ballot initiative, we analyze how this privileged subset of citizens reasons about following or ignoring various authorities on the issue of medical marijuana. The article uses an exploratory abductive analysis of secondary semi‐structured interview data to understand citizens' reasoning on this issue and to expand theories of expert authority in direct democratic settings. We find a variety of different ways in which white male citizens accept or reject expert medical authority on medical marijuana in the context of Arizona Proposition 203 (2010).

The perils and promise of direct democracy: Labour ballot initiatives in the United States

The perils and promise of direct democracy: Labour ballot initiatives in the United States

Earmarked Taxes for Mental Health Services in the United States: A Local and State Legal Mapping Study.

State and local governments have been adopting taxes that earmark (i.e., dedicate) revenue for mental health. However, this emergent financing model has not been systematically assessed. We sought to identify all jurisdictions in the United States with policies earmarking taxes for mental health services and characterize attributes of these taxes. A legal mapping study was conducted. Literature reviews and 11 key informant interviews informed search strings. We then searched legal databases (HeinOnline, Cheetah tax repository) and municipal data sources. We collected information on the year the tax went into effect, passage by ballot initiative (yes/no), tax base, tax rate, and revenue generated annually (gross and per capita). We identified 207 policies earmarking taxes for mental health services (95.7% local, 4.3% state, 95.7% passed via ballot initiative). Property taxes (73.9%) and sales taxes/fees (25.1%) were most common. There was substantial heterogeneity in tax design, spending requirements, and oversight. Approximately 30% of the US population lives in a jurisdiction with a tax earmarked for mental health, and these taxes generate over $3.57 billion annually. The median per capita annual revenue generated by these taxes was $18.59 (range = $0.04-$197.09). Per capita annual revenue exceeded $25.00 in 63 jurisdictions (about five times annual per capita spending for mental health provided by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Policies earmarking taxes for mental health services are diverse in design and are an increasingly common local financing strategy. The revenue generated by these taxes is substantial in many jurisdictions.

The Genre of Deliberative Guidance: Rhetoric and Deliberation in Citizens’ Initiative Review Statements

During the last decade, the Citizens’ Initiative Review (CIR) has offered an innovative design to incorporate citizen deliberation into ballot initiative elections, using a citizens’ jury process to evaluate evidence and write an advisory CIR Statement on the measure for public engagement. This analysis turns attention to the Statements, and applying genre analysis, identifies an emerging genre of deliberative guidance. We argue that the genre of deliberative guidance invites readers to engage in a hermeneutic process of interpretation and decision making on ballot measures. We identify three components of the genre, offering evaluation and insights for deliberative design and practice.

Psychedelics Legislation Gains Momentum

Psychedelics Legislation Gains Momentum

The geography of giving: Nonprofit philanthropy, public parks and land conservation in the United States

AbstractFaced with budget cutbacks, state and local governments struggle to adequately fund public parks and support land conservation. “Support nonprofits” are charitable organizations soliciting voluntary contributions of money, property, and service to protect parks and natural systems (Gazley, 2015). From 2000 to 2015, the number of support nonprofits increased by 188% and total nonprofit revenue increased by 263%, outpacing growth in public charities nationwide (NCCS). The rapid growth in support nonprofits prompts key questions about access and equity: Which communities benefit from support nonprofits? Do support nonprofits advocate for public land conservation? Using a novel national dataset pairing large nonprofits with the counties they serve, the article has three key findings: (1) counties in metropolitan areas with well‐educated, liberal residents are more likely to have a support nonprofit fundraising for public land, and (2) there is no correlation between public funding for parks and support nonprofit presence. In addition to philanthropy, (3) counties with support nonprofits are more likely to pass ballot initiatives funding public land conservation. It is imperative that policy‐makers and conservation advocates consider how nonprofit philanthropy maps on to—and augments—existing inequality in access to parks and natural resource conservation.