Good morning, it’s Thursday, October 31, 2024. Happy Halloween! In today’s edition, we preview the year in ballot measures, officials warn of deepfakes, Ayotte leads another New Hampshire poll:
Top Stories
BALLOT INITIATIVES: Voters will weigh in on more than 150 ballot measures this year, setting policy on everything from abortion rights to the minimum wage, tax policy and the way elections are conducted. At least three initiative campaigns have attracted more than $100 million in spending, making them among the priciest campaigns in the nation.
ABORTION: Voters in 9 states will decide measures to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, and voters in Nebraska will choose between initiatives to protect or restrict abortion rights. Abortion rights backers have a perfect record at the ballot box since the fall of Roe v. Wade; the question is whether ballot measures in states like Arizona, Nevada and Florida can have the add-on effect of boosting turnout among younger voters. Read more here.
ELECTION RULES: Voters in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, D.C. will decide whether to establish ranked-choice voting, while Alaskans will decide whether to repeal their existing ranked-choice system. Voters in Arizona, South Dakota and Montana will decide whether to end partisan primaries. And voters in Ohio will determine whether to implement a citizen commission to draw district lines.
NON-CITIZEN VOTING: Just as Democrats hope abortion-related measures spur turnout on their side, Republicans hope measures in eight states to ban non-citizen voting in elections will turn out their base. Non-citizen voting is already illegal at the federal level, and only a handful of cities allow non-citizens to vote in local races. But it’s an effective way to remind voters about immigration, an issue that favors Republicans.
MARIJUANA: Voters in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana. Supporters in all three states face challenges: Florida requires amendments to reach a 60% threshold. The Dakotas have both rejected legalization in the past. Supporters in Florida, led by one of the nation’s largest pot companies, have raised $121 million for their effort. Read more here.
MINIMUM WAGE: Alaska and Missouri voters will decide whether to raise minimum wages to $15 an hour. California voters will decide whether to raise the minimum to $18 an hour. And voters in Massachusetts and Arizona will decide on minimum wages for tipped workers, who can be paid less than non-tipped workers.
Voters have approved every single minimum wage hike that’s appeared on a ballot since 2000.
HEALTH CARE: South Dakota voters will decide whether to add a work requirement for Medicaid programs. West Virginia voters are likely to approve a ban on medically assisted death. And Washington State voters will decide whether to make voluntary a 2019 tax credit that pays for long-term care. Read more here.
AND THE REST: Missouri voters will decide whether to legalize sports betting. Oregon voters are likely to approve a measure to allow for the impeachment of state officials. California and Nevada voters are being asked to end involuntary servitude for convicted criminals. And voters in California will decide on the most expensive race of the year, Proposition 33, which would prohibit state limits on local rent controls.
Supporters and opponents of Prop. 33 have raised a combined $171 million. Wowza.
Read our complete breakdown of initiatives on the ballot this year right here.
In Politics & Business
DEEPFAKES: State officials are warning voters about the dangers of AI-generated deepfakes designed to sow confusion and mistrust. In this first AI-influenced election, outside actors including X owner Elon Musk have shared AI-doctored videos, and OpenAI said it had disrupted more than 20 attempts to use its services to create social media content around the election. (Pluribus News)
VIRGINIA: In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), allowing the state to continue to remove alleged non-citizens from the voting rolls just days before Election Day. The Commonwealth has removed about 1,600 voters from its lists; opponents said the late purge violated the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. (Cardinal News)
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) leads former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig (D) by a slim 49% to 46% margin, according to a new St. Anselm College poll. Ayotte leads among voters who don’t affiliate with one of the two parties by a 48%-45% margin. (St. Anselm College)
St. Anselm has polled this race three times since the September primary. Ayotte has led by three points in each survey.
NORTH CAROLINA: The state’s five living ex-governors — two Republicans and three Democrats — are asking the Court of Appeals for permission to file a friend of the court brief on behalf of Gov. Roy Cooper (D), in the midst of his spat with the legislature over the power to appoint state and county elections boards. The Republican-controlled legislature is trying to take that appointment power for itself. (NC Newsline)
RHODE ISLAND: Senate Democrats will meet after next week’s election to pick a nominee to serve as Senate president. Current President Dominick Ruggerio (D), battling cancer and other health issues, returned to the state House on Tuesday for the first time in months as he faces a challenge from Majority Leader Ryan Pearson (D). (Providence Journal)
By The Numbers
488: The number of ballots burned in the drop box fire in Clark County, Wash., that were successfully linked to voters by county elections officials. Those officials have reached out to voters to ask them to cast new ballots. Just six ballots were burned beyond recognition. (Oregonian)
$2.5 billion: The amount Americans have wagered on the presidential election on just one betting platform, Polymarket. Researchers have found evidence that up to a third of the volume on the site’s betting market is artificial. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
8: The number of World Series championships won by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who put the New York Yankees away in game five of the fall classic last night. The Yankees blew a five-run lead. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
Trick-or-treaters in Nebraska, Iowa, Mississippi, Kansas and West Virginia are most likely to find Candy Corn in their goodie bags, according to a new study by InstaCart that measured Candy Corn popularity by state. Hawaii residents are least likely to buy Candy Corn at Halloween, the study found. (WV News)
In our experience, Candy Corn is an extremely polarizing treat.
Passengers arriving at Orlando Executive Airport encountered a strange intruder on the tarmac this week: An alligator who wandered near the path of a taxiing plane. Airport employees showed up to shoo the animal away from danger. (UPI)
Olivier Rioux will become the tallest person ever to play in a college basketball game when he starts for the University of Florida Gators this season. Rioux, 19, stands seven feet nine inches tall, two inches taller than Kenny George, who started for UNC Asheville from 2006 to 2008. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“I think everyone’s going to be rowing in the same direction, and figure out where we need to be.”
— North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R), on state pressure on Congress to fund Hurricane Helene relief efforts. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has promised Congress will act on a relief package when they return to D.C. in November. (NC Newsline)