Main issues to be voted on November 5

Abortion, minimum wage, equal marriage and drug legalization on the ballot in several states. 

Below is a list of ballot initiatives or referendums that you will be able to decide on during the November 5 elections.  

Arizona  

Abortion Access: Arizona for Abortion Access, the group leading the pro-choice initiative, announced that it had collected signatures from more than 823,000 registered voters, putting the abortion issue on the ballot at the last minute. 
 

Arkansas   

State Lottery for Scholarships: Voters will decide on a legislative amendment that allows state lottery proceeds to fund scholarships and grants for vocational and technical colleges. Passage would help thousands of low-income students obtain resources to continue their education.  
 

California  

Proposition 3 - Equal Marriage: This ballot measure would remove language in the California Constitution that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Voters accepted that definition, banning same-sex marriages, when they passed Proposition 8 in 2008. Although the courts eventually overturned the decision, the wording remains in the Constitution.  

Proposition 32-Minimum wage: This ballot initiative would raise California's minimum wage to $18 an hour over the next two years. If passed, all minimum wage workers earning $16 an hour right now would see their wage gradually increase by a dollar each year until reaching $18 on January 1, 2026.  

The measure requires larger companies with more than 25 employees to reach $18 at a faster pace, by early 2025. However, if an economic downturn occurs, the governor has the power to suspend the increases twice.  

Proposition 33-- Rent Control: A vote in favor of this measure would expand rent control in California. If passed, it would eliminate a nearly three-decade-old law, the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which prohibits rent control on single-family homes completed after February 1, 1995.  

Cities and counties would have more power to limit rent increases for incoming and existing tenants, making it harder for landlords to raise prices on rental homes. 
 

Colorado   

Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption: A legislative amendment would extend the property tax exemption for disabled veterans to veterans with individual disability status. Approval would help veterans reduce their tax burden.  

Constitutional Amendment-- Same-Sex Marriage: Voting Yes supports removing the provision in the state constitution that says: “only the union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.” A no vote means opposing this change, keeping the current language.   
 

Florida   

Amendment 3–Cannabis Legalization: This amendment would legalize the possession of up to 3 ounces of recreational cannabis for adults 21 and older. It would also allow Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and other state-licensed entities to purchase, process and distribute cannabis products.   

Amendment 4–Abortion Rights: This amendment would legalize abortion until the fetus is considered viable for survival (generally between 23 and 24weeks' gestation). It would require parental consent for pregnant minors to have an abortion.  

Hawaii   

Marriage Equality: This amendment would eliminate a provision in the Constitution stating that “the legislature has the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.”  A Yes vote supports removing this provision, while a No vote opposes this change.  
 

Iowa   

Citizenship Voting Requirement: This legislatively referred constitutional amendment that would add language to the state constitution specifying that only a U.S. citizen may vote. It also supports allowing 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the general election to vote in primary elections.   
 

Kentucky   

Charter School Funding: A legislative amendment would allow the Kentucky General Assembly to fund charter schools. This would expand the ability of families to choose their children's school.  

Non-Citizen Voting Ban: Another legislative amendment would prohibit non-citizens from voting, through non-citizens are already prohibited from voting nationwide.    
 

Maryland   

Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment: The Maryland Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment confirms a person's fundamental right to reproductive freedom, stating that the State may not, directly or indirectly, deny or restrict this right unless justified by a “compelling state interest” achieved by less restrictive means.  

Massachusetts   

MCAS Testing Requirement: A voter referendum will decide whether to eliminate the MCAS test as a requirement for high school graduation. Critics argue that the test pressures teachers to narrow the curriculum to material covered by the tests, causing some students to drop out of high school.   
 
Tipped Workers’ Minimum Wage: Another voter referendum will decide on raising the minimum wage for tipped workers. Given the income instability of these workers, the initiative would benefit thousands of employees. 
 

Psychedelic Substances: A referendum will also decide whether to legalize certain psychedelic substances for medical and research use, but not for recreational purposes. 
 

Nevada 

Slavery and Involuntary Servitude Ban: A legislative amendment, Question 4, proposes removing a criminal exception for slavery and involuntary servitude from the state constitution. The amendment would remove language from the Nevada Constitution that allows the use of slavery or involuntary servitude as criminal punishment, something that still occurs in some prisons in the country. 
 

Abortion Rights Initiative: This initiative seeks to establish the constitutional right to abortion, stipulating that the state will regulate abortion after fetal viability, except when medically necessary to protect the life, physical health, or mental health of the pregnant patient. 
 

New Mexico 

Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption: A legislative amendment proposes proportionally applying the property tax exemption for disabled veterans according to the type of disability. Another amendment would increase the exemption from $4,000 to $10,000, with adjustments for inflation. 
 

New York 

Equal Protection Amendment: This amendment would expand the state Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause to ensure equality under the law regardless of "ethnicity, national origin, age, disability," and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy. 

These are some of the key issues voters will decide on during the November 5 elections. Be informed and make your vote count!