Maine questions 1 and 2

Maine Question 1 considers absentee ballot and voter ID requirements. 

The question reads “Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections?”

If the measure is adopted, beginning next year, voters would be required to produce qualifying photo identification in order to cast a ballot. Voters would also have to provide their driver’s license number or a photocopy of their ID to the local clerk when applying for an absentee ballot.

If the ballot measure is passed, changes to absentee ballots would include ending a practice under which such ballots are automatically mailed to disabled voters and residents aged 65 and older each election. It would also end the practice of allowing absentee ballot requests to be made over the phone or for requests to be made on behalf of an immediate family member.

In addition, the measure seeks to limit municipalities to one ballot drop box, would reduce absentee balloting by two days, and require a bipartisan team to retrieve ballots from drop boxes each day. It would also prohibit towns from including prepaid postage on ballot return envelopes.

Question 2

Maine Question 2 considers imposing restrictions on certain individuals’ access to guns due to concerns that they could be suicidal or pose a potential threat.

The “red flag” gun control measure seeks to allow family members to directly petition a judge without involving the police to order someone in their household to temporarily surrender their guns if they can demonstrate that the person poses a “significant danger” to themself or others.

The question reads: “Do you want to allow courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having dangerous weapons if law enforcement, family, or household members show that the person poses a significant danger of causing physical injury to themselves or others?”

Maine’s current yellow flag law only allows police to go to a judge to start the process to take away residents’ guns. 

Colorado Propositions LL and MM

Proposition LL is one of two that voters are considering as a measure to help fund Proposition FF, another ballot initiative the state passed in 2022. Proposition FF established and funded the Healthy School Meals for All Program by reducing tax deductions for Coloradans who make $300,000 or more. The program provides free school meals for all students, but has faced recurring budget shortfalls of at least $50 million.  

Proposition LL would allow the state to retain tax dollars it has already collected under Proposition FF that exceeded the original projection for needed funding, and would also permit Colorado to continue collecting revenue beyond the original projection. 

The state has collected $12.4 million above the limit set by FF, including interest. Passing LL would allow the state to keep those dollars to fund free school meals, instead of being required to return excess funds to residents, as established by the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. 

Proposition MM

If passed, Proposition MM would impose a tax hike on high-income households and use approximately $95 million in anticipated expanded revenues to sustain the Healthy School Meals for All program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all public K-12 students in Colorado, regardless of income.

MM would further limit the amount of federal deductions that can be applied to Colorado taxable income, restricting it to $1,000 for individual tax filers with incomes higher than $300,000.

The deduction limit for joint filers with more than $300,000 in household income would drop from $16,000 to $2,000.  Taxpayer can currently claim up to $12,000 in federal deductions on their state tax forms.

 State analysts estimate 200,000 households, or about 6% of Colorado households, would pay the increased tax.

Texas Propositions 15 and 16

Proposition 15 surrounds reinforcing parental rights. It seeks to add language to the Texas constitution “affirming that parents are the primary decision makers for their children.” 

The ballot measure would add a Section 37 to Article 1 of the Texas Constitution, reading: “To enshrine truths that are deeply rooted in this nation’s history and traditions, the people of Texas hereby affirm that a parent has the responsibility to nurture and protect the parent’s child and the corresponding fundamental right to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent’s child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child’s upbringing.”

Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes has led the ballot proposal. Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat, is among state legislators who back the measure. 

Proposition 16

Proposition 16 reiterates that only U.S. citizens can participate in elections, with proponents arguing it makes any future attempt to permit noncitizen voting more difficult, since it would require another constitutional amendment rather than a simple statute.

It would “make it crystal clear under the state constitution that if you’re not a U.S. citizen you’re not allowed to vote in Texas,” Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said in a social media post.

The ballot measure would add language to the Texas Constitution stating noncitizens cannot vote in the state. While noncitizens are prevented from voting in federal elections, there is no federal restriction on their voting in local elections, according to KTAL. 

The ballot caption reads: “The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.”

South Dakota, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Oklahoma recently passed similar constitutional amendments, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

California Proposition 50

Proposition 50 surrounds redistricting efforts designed to boost Democrats’ power in the House of Representatives. 

If voters approve the ballot measure, California would adopt a map passed by the state legislature, redrawing congressional district lines for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections. 

NEWSOM CARVES ISSA’S HOME OUT OF HIS DISTRICT IN PROPOSITION 50 MAP

California has 43 Democrats and nine Republicans in the House. Proposition 50, which is backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), would redraw five of those GOP-represented House districts into areas more amenable to Democrats. 

The seats are held by Reps. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) in Northern California. Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Ken Calvert (R-CA) in Southern California, and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) in the Central Valley.