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Pot, pay and gay marriage: Voters to decide hot-button issues on state ballots

USA TODAY logo USA TODAY 3/11/2020 18:24:40 Sarah Elbeshbishi and Ledyard King, USA TODAY
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WASHINGTON - Legalizing marijuana. Recognizing gay marriage. Raising the minimum wage.

Tuesday isn't just the day to decide who the president will be. In many states, voters will be deciding issues that could affect their lives on a daily basis.

More than 100 ballot initiatives spread among 34 states will give some voters a say in how their congressional districts are drawn, how much they can limit their taxes, and whether gambling should exist or even expand.

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BOOKMARK THIS: Follow trusted, live election results with USA TODAY

When we'll know: Here's what to expect on election night

Social justice also will be on the ballot in Mississippi as voters must decide whether to adopt a new state flag to replace the former banner with the Confederate battle symbol. And in Rhode Island, where voters will be asked to change the official state name by removing "Providence Plantations" from the preamble to the state constitution.

Some are less weighty, such as whether Utah voters will enshrine the right to hunt and fish in the state constitution.

Here are some of the most controversial or compelling issues voters will be asked to approve Tuesday:

Marijuana and other drugs

Several states this election cycle are looking to legalize recreational and medical marijuana, including Montana and South Dakota. 

On the ballot in Arizona is the "Smart and Safe Arizona Act," which would legalize, tax and regulate recreational marijuana for those 21 and older. However, it would ban smoking marijuana in public.  

Arizona and others: 12 key swing states to watch

Montana is the other state considering to legalize recreational use of the drug, with two measures on its ballot. One is to explicitly legalize recreational marijuana while the other is to amend the state's constitution to allow the first measure to pass.   

In South Dakota, there are two measures on the legalization of marijuana. One measure is to legalize medical marijuana while the other one is for recreational marijuana. Since the measures are separate, voters can vote for one and not the other.

More: Here's when the voting polls open and close in every state

Along with South Dakota, Mississippi is another state with two measures regarding marijuana, both considering the legalization of medical marijuana. One measure would allow patients with at least one of the specific 22 medical conditions to use the drug while the other measure would only allow terminally ill patients to use it. 

After failing to get enough lawmakers to support legalizing recreational use in 2019, New Jersey placed a measure to legalize recreational marijuana on its ballot. The measure will also amend the state's constitution will be amended and give the commission that oversees medical marijuana control for recreational marijuana use too. 

The legalization of regulated medical use of psilocybin, a hallucinogen, is on the ballot in Oregon. The state also has measures considering the decriminalization of other drugs and using law enforcement savings to fund drug-addition treatments. 

Governance

Florida, Colorado and Alabama are considering a measure to change language in their state constitutions in regards to voting. All three state measures would change "every citizen" to "only a citizen" can vote in the state.

Florida: Live election night updates

Supporters say changing the language would make clear that non-citizens, such as undocumented immigrants, cannot vote. Opponents argue that the rewording is xenophobic since only those who are citizens of the United States can vote.

On the Colorado ballot is also Proposition 113, which would affirm the decision by Colorado lawmakers in 2019 to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Under this compact,  the state's electoral votes would go to the popular winner of the presidential race. If it doesn't pass, Colorado is removed from the agreement and the law would be repealed.

More: Opinion: National Popular Vote would not serve Colorado

California has two measures that will affect voting on the ballot this year. One proposition would allow people on parole for felonies to vote while the other would allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary if they turn 18 by the general election. 

A measure on the New Jersey ballot asks voters to approve delaying redistricting if the 2020 census is late. The state's constitution requires the state commission to pass a redistricting plan within a month of getting the data and federal law states that this must occur by April 1, 2021. 

Abortion

Only two states have measures involving abortions this year: Colorado and Louisiana. 

Colorado's measure would make abortions after 22 weeks illegal, expert when the woman's life is threatened by the pregnancy. There currently is no laws in the state to limit abortion at any stage. 

In Louisiana, Amendment 1 would add that "nothing in this constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion" into its state constitution. 

Social Issues

California is posing a measure to repeal a 1996 measure that outlawed affirmative action in public employment, education and contracting. 

Amendment 2 on Florida's ballot would increase the state's minimum wage to $15. The minimum wage would increase $1 every year until it reaches $15 in 2026.

More: Election 2020: Question 2 would remove Nevada's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage

Voters in Mississippi have the chance to vote for or against the proposed new state flag in place of their former flag, which was retired by their governor because of the Confederate symbol. 

Utah has a measure on its ballot that would change the language in the state's constitution to be more gender-neutral, like changing man to person and wife to spouse. The state is also considering a measure that establishes hunting and fishing as constitutional rights.   

On Montana's ballot, there is a measure that would prohibit local governments from establishing regulation of firearms laws, including the regulation of carrying permitted concealed weapons and the sale of firearms to felons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pot, pay and gay marriage: Voters to decide hot-button issues on state ballots

mardi 3 novembre 2020 20:24:40 Categories: USA TODAY

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