[Info] The other things the USA voted on

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http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/initiative.htm

Issues: 11 states nix gay marriage; Calif. OKs stem-cell work
By Charisse Jones, USA TODAY

Voters around the country Tuesday weighed in on a range of state measures from legalizing marijuana to banning gay marriage and scrapping the tradition of winner takes all electoral votes in a presidential election. Gay-marriage bans bulldozed to victory in all 11 states that voted on the measure: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah.

But it was Colorado's initiative that could have had the most immediate effect. The measure, which was defeated, would apportion the state's nine electoral votes based on each presidential candidate's share of the popular vote and would go into effect for this year's election.

All but two states give all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins a majority of the state's popular vote. Nebraska and Maine give the winner of the statewide vote two electoral votes, then allocate the rest based on the winners in congressional districts.

Elsewhere, Montana became the 10th state to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, but Alaskans defeated a more ambitious proposal to decriminalize pot altogether. In Oregon, voters rejected a measure that would have dramatically expanded its existing medical marijuana program.

Federal drug czar John Walters was heartened by the outcome in Alaska.

"This public health victory reaffirms the simple, inescapable fact that no family, no community, no state is better off with more drug use," he said.

Nevertheless, 43% of the Alaskan voters supported the decriminalization effort and backers promised to revisit the issue.

In a year when same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts, the issue made its way onto 11 ballots. Opponents said the measures were a strategy by Republicans to galvanize their conservative base and get them to the polls. But both supporters and opponents said that during a particularly contentious election year, turnout would likely have been high with or without the proposed amendments.

"It's conceivable this measure might turn out some people of faith that are typically apolitical," said Mike White, executive director of Oregon's Defense of Marriage Coalition. "But I think in the big scheme of things ... this is going to be a large turnout and our measure doesn't have that big of a role in it."

Amendments banning same-sex marriage were passed earlier this year in Louisiana and Missouri. They joined Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Nebraska, whose constitutions define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

In California, voters decided to fund research on embryonic stem cells. They also rejected a change to the state's "three-strikes" law. The law says any third felony conviction, from shoplifting to car theft, can result in a life sentence. California is the only state among 23 with three-strikes laws to include the lesser offenses. The ballot measure would have changed that to say that a third criminal offense must be a serious or violent felony to warrant a life sentence.

One surprise was in Arizona, where a widely supported partnership plan between universities and businesses was defeated.

Other notable measures on state and local ballots:

ALABAMA:

• Results pending: Remove language from state constitution requiring racial segregation in public schools.

ALASKA:

•Rejected measure to decriminalize marijuana.

• Voted to fill U.S. Senate vacancies by special election, not gubernatorial appointment.

• Rejected ban on bear-baiting.

ARKANSAS:

• Passed ban on gay marriage.

• Rejected plan to increase property tax rates to support public education.

ARIZONA:

• Approved requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and proof of immigration status to obtain certain government services.

CALIFORNIA:

•Passed measure to devote $3 billion to human embryonic stem cell experiments.

• Rejected plan to create open primaries

• Approved plan to raise taxes on rich to boost mental health care.

• Rejected measure to tone down three-strikes law to deal only with serious crimes.

• Rejected measure to allow card clubs and racetracks to add 30,000 slot machines.

• Rejected measure to give Indian tribes broader gambling rights in return for paying state 8.8% of revenue.

• Rejected measure to repeal law making businesses offer health insurance to workers.

COLORADO:

• Approved measure to raise tobacco tax from 20 cents to 84 cents a pack to fund health care.

• Rejected measure to scrap winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes, instead allocating them proportionally according to popular vote.

• Approved measure to require power companies to use some renewable energy.

FLORIDA:

•Passed measure to limit privacy rights of girls under 18, a prelude to any future law requiring parents be told when minor daughters seek abortions.

• Approved measure to repeal high-speed train project, which Gov. Jeb Bush says state can't afford.

•Overwhelmingly raised state minimum wage to $6.15 an hour.

• Results pending: Authorize Miami-Dade, Broward counties to hold referendums on allowing slot machines at racetracks, jai alai frontons. Opponents and supporters had 50%. If the margin of victory is one-half of 1% or less, local elections officials automatically must order a machine recount.

• Approved measure to bar licensing of doctors who commit three or more incidents of medical malpractice.

• Approved measure to cap attorney fees in medical malpractice suits.

GEORGIA:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

KENTUCKY:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

MAINE:

• Rejected measure to cap property taxes at 1% of assessed value.

• Rejected measure to ban bear hunting with bait, dogs and traps.

MICHIGAN:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

• Approved measure to require voter approval of new forms of gambling.

MISSISSIPPI:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

MONTANA:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

•Approved measure to allow marijuana use for medical purposes.

• Rejected measure to lift ban on use of cyanide in some new gold and silver mines.

•Approved measure to raise cigarette pack tax from 70 cents to $1.70.

NEBRASKA:

• Rejected a measure to legalize two casinos.

• Approved measure to divert $2 million a year in lottery proceeds for improvements at state fairgrounds.

NEVADA:

• Approved measure to raise state minimum wage to $6.15 from $5.15 an hour.

• Approved measure to place $350,000 limit on pain and suffering damages in medical malpractice cases.

• Approved measure to require legislature fund public schools ahead of all other items.

• Rejected measure to require state to fund schools at least at national average.

NORTH DAKOTA:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

OHIO:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

OKLAHOMA:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

• Approved measure to start lottery, with state's proceeds dedicated to education.

• Approved measure to boost tax on cigarette pack by 55 cents to help fund health care.

• Approved measure to allow slot machines at horse tracks, expand tribal gambling options.

OREGON:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

• Rejected measure to expand existing medical marijuana program.

• Results pending: Place $500,000 limit on pain and suffering damages in medical malpractice suits.

SOUTH CAROLINA:

• Approved measure to drop requirement that bars, restaurants serve liquor from minibottles.

SOUTH DAKOTA:

• Rejected measure to exempt groceries from state and city sales tax.

UTAH:

• Approved measure to ban gay marriage.

• Rejected a $150 million bond for conservation projects.

WASHINGTON:

• Rejected a measure to allow more non-Indian gambling, dedicate tax revenue to property tax relief.

• Rejected a measure to boost sales tax by a penny to provide $1 billion a year for education.

• Rejected a measure to allow charter schools.

• Approved a measure to adopt open primary system.

• Approved a measure to block federal government from sending radioactive waste from other states to Hanford nuclear site until waste already there is cleaned up.

WEST VIRGINIA:

• Approved a measure to let lawmakers allocate taxes or sell bonds to pay bonuses to veterans of Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq.

WYOMING:

• Rejected a measure to allow cap on medical malpractice damages for pain and suffering.

LOCAL MEASURES:

•Berkeley, Calif: Rejected a measure to decriminalize prostitution.

•Cincinnati: Approved a measure to repeal 1993 ban on gay rights laws.

•Columbus, Ohio: Approved a measure to ban smoking in public places.

•Maryland's Talbot County: Approved a measure to limit size of superstores to 65,000 square feet.