this post was submitted on 03 Nov 2024
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This thread is for discussion on state races and ballot measures. Is your state legalizing or banning abortion? Weed? Ranked choice balloting?

This is the place to discuss it!

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I live in Oregon and there are a couple to watch here:

117 enables ranked choice balloting:

https://ballotpedia.org/Oregon_Measure_117,Ranked-Choice_Voting_for_Federal_and_State_Elections_Measure(2024)

118 taxes companies who make more than $25 million in the state and kicks it back to residents, $1,600 per resident.

https://ballotpedia.org/Oregon_Measure_118,Corporate_Tax_Revenue_Rebate_for_Residents_Initiative(2024)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I'm strongly in favor of 117. I like 118 in theory, but after reading it, I voted against it, because I think the end result would be to damage small Oregon businesses, while large conglomerates would be fine. I don't want Walmarts to be the only businesses that can afford to operate here.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Well, I don't think anyone making more than $25 million a year is a "small business", that's $68,493.15 a day...

It's still an awful idea, but the idea that it would hurt small business is a smoke screen. :)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

I buy all my supplies from companies making more than 25m, who buy from other companies making more than 25m, and so on. My COGS will go up a minimum of 3%, more than likely closer to 10% when you compound the entire supply chain. I don't care that I won't pay into the general tax fund, but I sure as hell care that I'll have to convince my retail customers to pay 10% more on my products after already struggling with inflation cost increases the last few years.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

the idea that it would hurt small business is a smoke screen.

Yeah, the ultra wealthy are always claiming that if they have to pay their fair share then all of society will suffer. 🙄 118 honestly sounds fine to me, but the array of groups I trust that were against it gave me pause. I voted no, hoping to avoid another case of doing the right thing the wrong way.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

Here in ky, to nobody's surprise, we have some Republican bullshittery.

Prop 1 adds wording to the state constitution that makes it illegal for all non-US citizens to vote... Which is already the State law. Vote NO.

Prop 2 is a doozie - enables the state to funnel public funds to charter schools under the guise of "educational freedom" or some bullshit like that. HARD NO on that one!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Yeah, 1 is already illegal and 2 sounds like they want to take public dollars away from public schools and feed it to religious ones. 🙄

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

Kentucky's state constitution has uniquely strong protections for public school funding, and amendment 2 nullifies all of them in one go.

Here's the wording:

To give parents choices in educational opportunities for their children, are you in favor of enabling the General Assembly to provide financial support for the education costs of students in kindergarten through 12th grade who are outside the system of common (public) schools by amending the Constitution of Kentucky as stated below?

IT IS PROPOSED THAT A NEW SECTION BE ADDED TO THE CONSTITUTION OF KENTUCKY TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

The General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools. The General Assembly may exercise this authority by law, Sections 59, 60, 171, 183, 184, 186, and 189​ of this Constitution notwithstanding.

I genuinely think most KY voters don't know what notwithstanding means, if they even bother to read that far.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

100% it's gonna go to religious schools. I'm not even sure that any non-religious private schools even exist in this backwards-ass state

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

They do. There are a few elite non-religious private schools in Louisville.

But they are far outnumbered by parochial schools.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Already happened in TX. It’s gone about as well as you’d expect.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

We have the same thing as your prop 1 on the ballot in South Carolina. It's already illegal at the state and federal level. It's just on there to help get low information conservatives to the polls, since they are convinced the Democrats want to change the law to let "the illegals" vote.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

WKYT is calling Amendment 2 as a No, with a 30 point margin.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Hello fellow Kentuckian!

I saw a story this week that pointed out in Arkansas, 80% of students who got vouchers didn't enroll in private schools. In other words, if your parents couldn't afford private schools before, they most likely still couldn't even with vouchers.

That's what's on the ballot for KY. NO ON 2!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My wife and I tried, looks like we lost the presidential for KY, not super surprised, but disappointed.

Glad we won prop 2 though. We don't have kids, and they're not in our future, but they already keep taking too many funds from public schools.

Anyone have the result for prop 1?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Ahh bummer, thanks for the update. Hopefully it doesn't make it too difficult to vote

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You want to vote Yes on 1 because it doesn't change anything and then they can't whine about Demoncrats trying to let illegals keep voting.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Until they use it as a reason to require you to bring proof(s) of citizenship when registering to vote.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Please get Ted Cruz out of office Texans. He's at risk of getting murdered on the senate floor according to Lindsay Graham and others. Save Ted Cruz

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

He's at risk of getting murdered on the senate floor according to Lindsay Graham and others.

...it's not like they haven't had plenty of chances.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

...

Idk maybe this is a win/win situation.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

Ohio has Issue 1 regarding gerrymandering...

...which the Ohio Supreme Court already told them to unfuck and the GOP was like, "nah, fam"...

...and which LaRose obfuscated (just like he did with the abortion amendment) via confusing language and outright lies (under the guide of free speech, apparently) to trick people into voting No

So, a No vote keeps the same crap we have now where a majority of the state has no voice. A Yes vote gives everyone a more equal say

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 week ago

A friend of mine from high school ran unopposed for state rep. Feels pretty good having someone I know well, and whose kids go to the same school as mine, so terrify the Republicans that they didn't bother running anyone.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

In Texas: Ted Cruz vs. Colin Allred for the senate seat.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yup, we're tracking all the Senate races in a separate thread.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Oops, sorry!

[–] MCasq_qsaCJ_234 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Is the referendum on Puerto Rico becoming a state also taken into account?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Found it:

https://ballotpedia.org/Puerto_Rico_Statehood,_Independence,or_Free_Association_Referendum(2024)

"The ballot measure asks voters to choose one of the following three options for Puerto Rico's political status:[1]

(A) Statehood;

(B) Independence; or

(C) Sovereignty in free association with the United States.

The different options are as follows; however, the results of the referendum are nonbinding because any changes to Puerto Rico’s statehood require action by the United States Congress."

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Yup! That would belong here!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Florida abortion rights bill at 57%, needs 60% to pass. Predicted to fail based on that.

[–] MCasq_qsaCJ_234 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

What do you think of DC's initiative 83?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Missouri voted to increase the minimum wage and add sick pay.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I’m really curious how Californians feel about Prop 34. It’s kind of bizarre to see a prop that is actively targeting a single organization, even if that org is super sketchy. I felt icky voting on it, for or against.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not in CA so not following that... but looking it up:

https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_34,Require_Certain_Participants_in_Medi-Cal_Rx_Program_to_Spend_98%25_of_Revenues_on_Patient_Care_Initiative(2024)

"requiring health care providers... to spend 98% of revenues from the federal discount prescription drug program on direct patient care"

I removed the qualifications to simply boil it down to the ask here... mathematically is this even possible?

I don't think any business model survives on 2% overhead.

https://www.wphealthcarenews.com/understanding-the-complexities-of-overhead-in-a-physician-practice/

"Most physicians believe that their practice’s overhead is somewhere between 40% and 50% of their charges. The truth is that in today’s medical practices, it is actually between 60% and 70%.

The reasons? In the past 15 years, health insurance costs for employees rose over 200%. Reimbursements from third-party payers decreased substantially. Technology has become much more expensive. Documentation for malpractice purposes has caused physicians to do more paperwork. The billing process to third-party payers has become much more complicated. Physicians have been forced to hire more staff. With all of these changes, some physicians have taken a 50% cut in pay – or more."

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The thing is, there’s only one org that meets the threshold for it and that’s the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which throws a lot of money at props in California and has some questionable stuff about being a landlord. From calmatters.org:

Proposition 34 would require some California providers to spend at least 98% of that net drug sale revenue on “direct patient care.” Providers that don’t risk having their state license and tax-exempt status revoked and losing out on government contracts.

But the proposition doesn’t apply to all providers — only those that spend at least $100 million on expenses other than direct care, that also own and operate apartment buildings and that have racked up at least 500 severe health and safety violations in the last decade.

As far as anyone can tell, that only applies to one organization: The AIDS Healthcare Foundation. \

The measure would also put into law a Newsom administration policy that requires all state agencies to negotiate for lower drug prices as a single entity.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

In THAT case, it seems specifically designed to put them out of business... Which I guess would be the basis of the vote...

You'd think the regulatory agencies would have a better way of dealing with it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It’s nuts, right? That’s why it felt icky. My husband and I talk through all the stuff on our ballots together and we really went back and forth on this one. Ultimately we did vote for it, probably because we kept reading that the AHF had funded at least half of all the other props we were voting on, most of which had nothing to do with healthcare. But I’m still not sure that was the right vote. I’ll be curious to see how it shakes out.

I’m also watching prop 36 because I see all these signs for it in my neighborhood, but I’m against it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

I voted for it, going back now I think I would vote against.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

NY Equal Rights Amendment (inc. pregnancy) passing.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I am STUNNED... STUNNED that Oregon said No to ranked choice balloting and it wasn't even close. 60/40.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Maryland votes for abortion rights 3-1.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Good rundown of state ballot measures here:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/ballot-measures

Arizona - Right to Abortion. Yes 61 to 39
Colorado - Right to Abortion. Yes 62 to 38
Florida - Right to Abortion. No 43 to 57 - Needed Yes >= 60 to pass.
Maryland - Right to Abortion. Yes 74 to 26
Missouri - Right to Abortion. Yes 52 to 48
Montana - Right to Abortion. Yes 58 to 42
Nebraska - Right to Abortion. Too Close To Call.
61,000 votes remaining, "No" is +21,000
Nebraska - Prohibit abortions after 1st Trimester - Yes 55 to 45
Nevada - Right to Abortion. Yes 64 to 36
New York - Right to Abortion. Yes 62 to 38
South Dakota - Right to Abortion. No 59 to 41

Alaska - Repeal ranked choice. Too close to call.
111,000 votes remaining, "Yes" is +4,000
Colorado - Ranked Choice. Too close to call.
762,000 ballots remaining, "No" + 247,551
D.C. - Ranked Choice. Yes 73 to 27
Idaho - Ranked Choice. No 70 to 30.
Missouri - Citizen voting, ban ranked choice. Yes 68 to 32
Nevada - Ranked Choice. No 54 to 46
Oregon - Ranked Choice. No 60 to 40
South Dakota - Top 2 Primary. No 65 to 35

Arizona - Eliminate partisan primaries. No 58 to 42

Connecticut - Absentee Voting. Too close to call.
473,000 ballots remaining, "Yes" +174,753

Iowa - Citizen voting +17 year olds. Yes 77 to 23. Idaho - Citizen voting. Yes 65 to 35
Kentucky - Citizen voting. Yes 63 to 37
Missouri - Citizen voting, ban ranked choice. Yes 68 to 32 North Carolina - Citizen voting. Yes 78 to 22
Oklahoma - Citizen voting. Yes 80 to 20
South Carolina - Citizen voting. Yes 85 to 15
Wisconsin - Citizen voting. Yes 66 to 34

Nevada - Voter ID. Yes 73 to 27

Ohio - Citizen Redistricting. No 54 to 46

Arizona - Border Enforcement. Yes 63 to 37

Florida - Legal weed. No 44 to 56, needed Yes >= to 60 to pass.
North Dakota - Legal weed. No 53 to 47
South Dakota - Legal weed. No 55 to 45

California - Marriage rights, repeal prop 8 - Yes 61 to 39

Alaska - Increase Minimum Wage. Too close to call.
114,000 ballots outstanding, "Yes" +31,000
Arizona - Decrease Minimum Wage. No 75 to 25
California - Increase Minimum Wage. Too close to call.
7.1 million ballots left. "No"+390,000
Massachusetts - Increase Minimum Wage. No 64 to 36.
Missouri - Minimum Wage + paid sick leave. Yes 57 to 43