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Across the country this November voters will be deciding the fate of about 173 state ballot measures. Many of these measures deal with relatively minor issues, like an amendment to correct a constitutional mistake relating to the oath of office requirement in North Dakota. Several of the measures could result in important policy changes in their respective states, but the impact will be almost exclusively local.
A handful of the initiatives this year, however, could end up having important long term national implications:
Genetically Modified Food: California Proposition 37 – One of the most highly contested initiatives in the country this year is California’s Proposition 37, Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food. The initiative would require food companies to label if their product contains genetically modified ingredients.
What gives this initiative national implications is that California is by far the largest market in the country. It may not make financial sense for food companies to produce specially labeled California-only versions of their products. As a result, it could effectively force some companies to put GMO labels on all the food they sell in United States. The passage of this initiative could also encourage voters in other states to put forward similar initiatives.
The potential implications of this measure are clearly understood by the food, seed and chemical industries. Monsanto, Dow, Pepsico, General Mills, and Coca-Cola are just a few of the big companies spending millions to defeat the initiative.
Marijuana Legalization: Colorado Amendment 64, Oregon Measure 80,Washington State Initiative 502 – Initiatives to legalize marijuana are on the ballot in three states. If even one of them wins approval this year, it could start a national movement towards liberalizing marijuana policy. For example, when California voters approved medical marijuana in 1996, it created a national trend. Within just four years, six other states had followed suit.
Having even one state legalize marijuana would demonstrate that the politics of the issue have significantly changed, and serve as an example to other states. It could even have international implications, by spurring other countries to experiment with legalization. The United States has been one of the biggest impediments to other countries legalizing marijuana, but if individual states legalize marijuana that could undermine the United States’ ability to put pressure on other countries.
Marriage Equality: Maine Question 1, Maryland Question 6,Washington Referendum 74 – Marriage equality has made big strides on both a legislative and judicial front in recent years but up until now it has always lost at the ballot. That could change this November. If voters in Maine, Maryland, and/or Washington affirmatively vote in support of same-sex marriage it would send a powerful signal that the politics surrounding this issue have undergone a monumental shift. If voters reject the referendums meant to stop same-sex marriage in Maryland or Washington it could encourage other state legislatures to approval similar laws and remove the worry that such a law would be overturned by voters.
Top Two Primaries: Arizona Proposition 121 – Via the initiative process, voters in two states –Washington and California — have recently replaced partisan primaries with a top two primary system. All candidates, regardless of party, appear on the same primary ballot and only the two with the most votes go on to the general election. This sometimes results in only two Republicans or only two Democrats facing each other in the general election. Proposition 121, if approved by voters, will implement this same system in Arizona. Having voters in three states in less than a decade adopt this change could potentially be the start of a national trend. Even if the top two system doesn’t spread beyond these three states it will still have a subtle impact national politics and policy by changing how a significant number of members of Congress need to run.
Redistricting: Ohio Issue 2 – In a large state like Ohio, which has 16 House districts, gerrymandering could potential give one party a several seat advantage. Currently the Ohio state legislature has the power to draw the Congressional districts, but if Issue 2 is approved the job would instead go to a citizens commission. Theoretically in future close elections, how the districts are drawn could make the difference between one party narrowly winning or losing control of the House of Representatives.
18 Comments
100% of all corn is genetically modified. Gak!
What is the estimate for how much money Corporations and their PAC allies will spend to defeat these initiatives. One could live like a king on 10% of the ad buys.
I think most grains have been also, wheat, oats, maze, if you can believe The Science Channel.
All U.S.grown sugar is also GM.
I happened on a paper about food allergies… Before the early 70′s when GMOs started showing up in our food, Allergies to Corn and Wheat were incredibly rare. As GMO foods increased they have gone up exponentially.
and there is a difference between just tweaking a gene or creating hybrids to things like adding insect dna or modifing genes to work with specific Monsanto pesticides.
I think the big issue for some of the Food Corps is from an article I read the other day about Aspertame being made from GMO bacteria. So Coke obviously doesnt want evert can of Diet Coke with a GMO warning
Would love to see a Ballot measure saying that the State doesnt have to pay a dime for Party primaries. Let the Dems and Repubs foot the bill or hold caucuses or what have you. My tax dollars shouldnt go to fund parties I dont belong to.
Seems we’ve been nothing more than lab rats for both BigAgr and BigPharma for most of our lives.
Very informative.
For Prop 37, here’s a partial list as of ten days ago
Full list from the Secretary of State’s office
http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1344135&session=2011&view=late1
American taxpayers are being forced to pay $40 Billion a year for a prohibition that causes 10,000 brutal murders & 800,000 needless arrests every year, but which doesn’t even stop CHILDREN from getting marijuana.
After seventy years of prohibition, it’s obvious that the federal marijuana prohibition causes FAR more harm than good and must END! Drug Dealers Don’t Card, Supermarkets Do.
and even with current labeling requirements there is soooooo much nasty stuff in our food. Something can be labeled as “all natural” and still be horrible because some of the bad additives are from natural sources. MSG for instance is technically a “natural” ingrediant.
It doesnt really take much to have food companies respond to customers. I have been ANTI HFCS since the late 80s. Until the past decade there was little you could do. But as more consumers complained they have added products without it or quitly removed it from existing. There is a big brand of peanut butter I just noticed dropped it but didnt promote its loss in anyway. LOL. ONe of my big jokes is I actually buy a corn syrup that has no HFCS in it. All but one Corn Syrup has HFCS in it. Which seems redundant but anyway my point is that they make a big claim on the label that its HFCS free so obviously its a major consumer concern they are trying to address
If the GMO measure fails then something is stinky. This is a no brainer initiative. Like what possible reason could anyone give for NOT having it. Other than “people wont buy our products if they know whats in them”
I live in Washington State. I’m excited that we might be one of the first states where voters approve equal marriage rights and legalize marijuana.
But let me tell you, the top two primary system, is a way of killing grass roots activism to shape what the party is like and, even worse, basically destroys third parties.
In November I have only two choices when voting for Congress. I either vote for establishment Democrat Rick Larsen who always votes to pay for wars, helped kill the public option and voted for indefinite detention -or- I vote for neo-con Dan Matthews who thinks the solution to economic problems is shrinking government and opposes legalizing marijuana or extending marriage rights to all. It is illegal in Washington State for the Greens or the Libertarians or any other third party to select their own nominee and put him or her on the ballot. I am forced to choose only between Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
Top Two is moving in the wrong direction, it is a bad idea and I hope Arizona rejects it.
Instant runoff would be a much better system. You can still vote third-party, but, if you want to, you can back that up with a vote for one of the two top finishers. If you think it’s better to have a Democrat than a Republican, you would rank Larsen as your second choice, and if you think it’s better to get rid of DINOs like Larsen, you could make the Republican your second choice.
No, that’s not really true. There is no GM wheat currently. For corn, it’s 50-60 percent GM, I’m pretty sure. What’s mostly GM is soybeans, 90 percent.
Most likely their argument is that it will give the mistaken impression that a label will suggest that there’s something substantively different about the final product, even though there isn’t. I like what someone else said somewhere, which is that a GM label will end up being a small notation that will appear along with the ingredient list, and that most people will ignore it.
Don’t believe everything you read.
Sugar from sugar beets, but not from sugar from sugar cane. On a molescular level, though, you probably can’t tell any difference, either from sugar from beets or from sugar cane, or sugar from GM beets or sugar from non-GM beets.
Doubt there’s any GM oats, either. I don’t think oats are really worth much money-wise.