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Throughout
the country, voters Tuesday will decide on issues ranging from the
supremely lofty to the pitifully mundane as they decide on more
than 200 state ballot initiatives and referenda that include a repeal
of a ban on interracial marriages, and a vote to increase gambling
maximums.
Political observers said the number of initiatives is an indication
of frustration with state governments. "It is an opportunity
for the public to address issues if the legislature is not doing
it," says Marcie McNelis, a partner at Multistate Associates,
a state and local government relations firm.
By that measure, Oregonians are the most dissatisfied with their
state government. The Beaver state's ballot includes 26 initiatives
and proposed constitutional amendments, each requiring almost 67,000
signatures and 90,000 signatures respectively to make the ballot.
"That's lots of choices for us," says Lynn Rosik, the
Oregon State Elections Director. But "I wouldn't say they're
real successful." she adds.
Along with Colorado, Oregon voters will decide a controversial measure
requiring more thorough background checks for any firearm, not just
handguns as the current law requires, and for any guns sold at a
tradeshow.
They will also likely issue a mandate to state educators not to
teach about homosexuality or bisexuality "in a manner that
encourages, promotes or sanctions such behaviors."
Oregonians like their initiative process enough to warrant a ballot
measure that would prevent the legislature from complicating or
otherwise making the initiative process itself more expensive; an
initiative to protect initiatives.
A May ballot initiative increased the number of signatures required.
"I think this initiative is aimed squarely at that," says
Rosik.
Along with stricter gun controls, Colorado will consider an initiative
to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, much like California's
Proposition 215 that passed in 1996.
Taking the issue one step further, Alaskans may turn their state
into the first safe haven in the union for personal use pot smokers
with an initiative to legalize hemp.
In one of the most watched state votes, Alabama will try to "clean
up its constitution" by decriminalizing interracial marriages,
according to state legislative analyst Frank Caskey.
The 1901 state manifesto declared marriages between blacks and whites
illegal and this year's proposed amendment would eliminate that
proviso.
"The federal court has struck down the provision," says
Caskey. "This is a clean up measure to take it off the books."
"Alabama is the only state left in the union with such a provision,"
says amendment author and Alabama State Representative Alvin Holmes.
He is "optimistic that it will pass," but is still concerned
about the opposition that believes the amendment would violate "their
confederate heritage against blacks and whites marrying."
If successful, initiatives in Nevada and Nebraska would amend those
states' constitutions to recognize marriages between men and women
only. Nebraska voters also have a chance to make their constitution
gender neutral.
Arizona voters tired of politics as usual have the chance to win
the redistricting power usually reserved for the winning party in
Congress. The goal is "to create fair districts that are not
'gerrymandered' for any party's or incumbent's advantage,"
according to the text of the initiative.
On top of initiatives regulating traps and poisons for animals,
Washington state voters will have to decide whether or not to charge
geologists in that state licensing fees to practice their trade.
To the east, in South Dakota, voters are faced with the difficult
choice of whether to increase the maximum bet allowed in a town
named Deadwood, home to casinos Tin Lizzie and Deadwood Dick's.
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