Voters across the country will weigh in on more than 150 statewide ballot initiatives in Tuesday’s election. They cover a wide range of issues, including abortion, elections and the minimum wage.
Here is a look at some of the measures voters will decide.
Abortion
Ten states are voting on abortion-related initiatives, nine of which would protect abortion rights.
Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and South Dakota are deciding whether to adopt constitutional amendments that would establish the right to abortion. Most of those states say the procedure would be allowed up until fetal viability, or 23 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
There are competing abortion measures on the ballot in Nebraska. One would provide that “all persons shall have a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability,” and the other would prohibit abortions after the first trimester — or around 13 weeks.
Meanwhile, in New York, Proposal 1 would bar someone from discriminating against anyone based on their “pregnancy” or “pregnancy outcomes.”
Voting
Voters in four states — Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon — as well as Washington, D.C., will decide whether to shake up their elections by adopting ranked choice voting.
Ranked choice voting, or RCV, allows voters to rank candidates by their first choice, second choice, etc. If no candidate receives a majority, the last-place finisher is then removed and ballots are tabulated again with votes going to the highest remaining candidate on each ballot. This process continues until a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
Supporters of ranked choice voting say the system eliminates the possibility of “spoiler” candidates and saves money by eliminating the need for runoffs. Opponents argue RCV is confusing and prone to errors.
Currently, just two states — Alaska and Maine — have ranked choice voting in certain statewide and federal elections, and Alaska will vote Tuesday on whether to repeal the system. Meanwhile, Missouri residents are voting on whether to prohibit RCV.
Depending on how Tuesday shakes out, as many as six states could shift to nonpartisan primary systems, in which candidates could advance to the general election regardless of their party affiliation.
In Colorado, Idaho and Nevada, that change would happen in conjunction with ranked choice voting. In Colorado and Idaho, the top four finishers in a primary would advance to the general election, where RCV would be used. Nevada would have a similar system, but the top five would move on to the general election there.
Arizona, Montana and South Dakota are also voting on adopting open primaries, but Arizona has a competing ballot measure that would enshrine the current partisan primary system in the state Constitution.
Immigration/non-citizen voting
Eight states are voting on whether to bar noncitizens from voting in state and local elections. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, although former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have made baseless claims that Democrats are allowing migrants into the country to vote for Kamala Harris.
The eight states weighing whether to prohibit noncitizen voting are Iowa, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, in Santa Ana, California, voters will decide on a ballot measure that would allow noncitizens to vote in municipal elections.
In Arizona, Proposition 314 would make it a state crime to illegally cross the border into the U.S., allowing local and state law enforcement to arrest suspects and judges to order deportations. Opponents of the measure argue it could lead to racial profiling.
Proposition 314 also would stiffen penalties on some criminal cases involving the sale of fentanyl, criminalize using false documents for jobs or government benefits, and require agencies to verify someone’s legal status before giving them benefits.
Marijuana/drug use
Three states — Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota — are voting on whether to legalize recreational marijuana. If the measure is approved, they would join 24 other states and Washington, D.C.
Four years ago, 54% of South Dakota voters passed a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana. But a judge later struck down the measure, ruling that it violated the state’s requirement that amendments only address one issue. It also contained provisions related to medical marijuana and hemp. The state Supreme Court upheld the circuit judge’s ruling.
Meanwhile, Nebraska voters will decide whether to legalize medical marijuana, which is allowed in 38 states.
And in Massachusetts, a ballot initiative would legalize and regulate the use of some psychedelic drugs. Advocates argue the drugs can help treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and other mental illnesses. Opponents argue the drugs can be harmful to some and should only be administered by doctors and with FDA approval.
Minimum wage
Residents of Alaska and Missouri will vote on whether to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, while California voters will decide whether to hike theirs to $18 per hour. Currently, Alaska’s minimum wage is $11.73, Missouri’s is $12.30, and California’s $16.
A Massachusetts measure would increase the minimum wage for tipped workers to the general minimum wage of $15. Currently, tipped workers in the state must earn at least $6.75 per hour provided they make at least $15 an hour with tips.
An Arizona ballot initiative also seeks to make changes to the tipped minimum wage. The measure would change the base pay of a tipped worker from $3 below the general minimum wage of $14.35 to 25% less than the prevailing minimum wage. That would lower the tipped minimum wage from $11.35 to $10.76. But under the measure, employers would also guarantee that tipped workers won’t earn less than $2 above minimum wage with tips — so $16.35.
The restaurant industry has pushed for the change in response to an effort to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $18 per hour and eliminate the lower minimum wage for tipped employees. Restaurant workers who oppose the measure say the math doesn’t work out in their favor.