The 2020 election could have far-reaching policy implications — not just at the national level, but in a number of states as well, where important ballot initiatives are on the table.
Five states — Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota — have proposed legalizing marijuana. Marijuana is currently legal in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and it has been decriminalized in all of the above states except South Dakota. Polls indicate the measures in all five states are likely to pass.
Oregon, which has already legalized marijuana, is going a step further — an initiative is on the ballot in that state that would decriminalize all drugs. The measure would redirect the savings from law enforcement and incarceration costs to setting up a drug addiction treatment and recovery program, as Vox’s German Lopez explained.
In Colorado, voters will decide whether the state will ban abortions after 22 weeks, though abortions would still be legal after that point if the doctor believes it is necessary to save the life of the person carrying the fetus. Recent polls show the vote is likely to be close, with a large portion of voters still undecided.
For the sixth time, Puerto Rico will vote on statehood. The idea was first put to the vote in 1967, when it was rejected. For the first time in 2017, Puerto Ricans passed a referendum on statehood, but turnout was extremely low. Few polls have been released for the measure this year.
The stakes of this election are high. Follow along below for Vox’s election coverage, including live results, breaking news updates, analysis, and more.
Los Angeles voters just delivered a huge win for the defund the police movement
Demonstrators in Los Angeles peacefully protest the Kentucky grand jury decision in the case of Breonna Taylor’s death at the hands of Louisville police, September 24, 2020. Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesLos Angeles voters have approved Measure J, also known as “Reimagine LA County,” which requires that 10 percent of the city’s unrestricted general funds — estimated between $360 million and $900 million per year — be invested in social services and alternatives to incarceration, not prisons and policing.
As of Wednesday afternoon, with a majority of votes counted, 57.1 percent of voters supported the measure, 42.9 percent opposed, according to the Los Angeles County registrar.
Read Article >Massachusetts voters reject ranked-choice voting in ballot initiative
A summary of Ballot Question 2, known as a “Ranked-Choice Voting” law. Bill Sikes/APVoters in Massachusetts have rejected the ballot initiative Question 2, which would have implemented ranked-choice voting in the state.
Had the vote succeeded, all Massachusetts primaries and general elections for state and federal congressional seats; state executive officials; and county offices would have been held using the method.
Read Article >San Francisco hasn’t defunded its police force yet — but just voted to make it smaller
Amid nationwide calls for police reform, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in late July to put Proposition E on the ballot. Vivian Lin/AFP via Getty ImagesSan Francisco voters have decided to do away with a longtime police staffing law that required the police department to maintain at least 1,971 full-time officers on its force, with their approval of Proposition E, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Now, the strength of the city’s police force will be governed by a police commission tasked with regularly evaluating police staffing levels. The proposition also requires San Francisco to end a requirement that there be a specified number of full-duty sworn police officers assigned to neighborhood policing and patrol — a number law enforcement officials say has never been met due to resource constraints.
Read Article >Election Day was a major rejection of the war on drugs
Christina Animashaun/VoxWe still don’t know with certainty who will be the next president of the United States. But this year’s election results have given us a lot more clarity on one thing: American voters, even conservative ones, are ready to reel back the US’s war on drugs.
In every state where a ballot measure asked Americans to reconsider the drug war, voters sided with reformers. In Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota, voters legalized marijuana for recreational purposes. In Mississippi and South Dakota (separate from the full legalization measure), voters legalized medical marijuana.
Read Article >Montana just voted to legalize marijuana
Christina Animashaun/VoxMontana has voted to legalize marijuana, with the approval of two ballot initiatives on Election Day.
First, a new constitutional amendment, CI-118, lets the legislature or a ballot initiative set a legal age for marijuana use.
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