Unright

Some Notable 2004 Ballot Measures

Some notable measures on state and local ballots on Nov. 2:

STATE MEASURES

ALABAMA:

remove language from state constitution requiring racial segregation in public schools.

ALASKA:

decriminalize marijuana.

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

ban bear-baiting.

ARKANSAS:

ban gay marriage.

increase property tax rates to support public education.

ARIZONA:

require proof of citizenship to register to vote and proof of immigration status to obtain certain government services.

CALIFORNIA:

devote $3 billion to human embryonic stem cell experiments.

create open primaries

raise taxes on rich to boost mental health care.

tone down Three Strikes Law to deal only with serious crimes.

allow card clubs, race tracks to add 30,000 slot machines.

give Indian tribes broader gambling rights in return for paying state 8.8 percent of revenue.

repeal law making businesses offer health insurance to workers.

COLORADO:

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

scrap winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes, instead allocating them proportionately according to popular vote.

require power companies to use some renewable energy.

FLORIDA:

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

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

create state minimum wage of $6.15 an hour.

authorize Miami-Dade, Broward counties to hold referenda on allowing slot machines at race tracks, jai alai frontons.

bar licensing of doctors who commit three or more incidents of medical malpractice.

cap attorney fees in medical malpractice suits.

GEORGIA:

ban gay marriage.

KENTUCKY:

ban gay marriage.

MAINE:

cap property taxes at 1 percent of assessed value.

ban bear hunting with bait, dogs and traps.

MICHIGAN:

ban gay marriage.

require voter approval of new forms of gambling.

MISSISSIPPI:

ban gay marriage.

MONTANA:

ban gay marriage.

allow marijuana use for medical purposes.

lift ban on use of cyanide in some new gold and silver mines.

hike tax on cigarette pack from 70 cents to $1.70.

NEBRASKA:

legalize two casinos.

divert $2 million a year in lottery proceeds for improvements at state fairgrounds.

NEVADA:

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

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

require legislature fund public schools ahead of all other items.

require state to fund schools at least at national average.

NORTH DAKOTA:

ban gay marriage.

OHIO:

ban gay marriage.

OKLAHOMA:

ban gay marriage.

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

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

allow shot machines at horse tracks, expand tribal gambling options.

OREGON:

ban gay marriage.

expand existing medical marijuana program.

place $500,000 limit on pain and suffering damages in medical malpractice suits.

SOUTH CAROLINA:

drop requirement that bars, restaurants serve liquor from minibottles.

SOUTH DAKOTA:

exempt groceries from state and city sales tax.

UTAH:

ban gay marriage.

$150 million bond for conservation projects.

WASHINGTON:

allow more non-Indian gambling, dedicate tax revenue to property tax relief.

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

allow charter schools.

adopt open primary system.

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

WEST VIRGINIA:

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

WYOMING:

allow cap on medical malpractice damages for pain and suffering.

LOCAL MEASURES

Berkeley, Calif: decriminalize prostitution.

Cincinnati: repeal 1993 ban on gay rights laws.

Cleveland: raise property taxes to benefit public schools.

Columbus, Ohio: ban smoking in public places.

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

Nevada's Churchill County: ban brothels.

San Francisco: let noncitizen parents vote in school board elections.

San Francisco: urge end to Iraq war.

Seattle: kill monorail project