1999 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 1999.
In the United States, a ballot measure is a law, issue, or question that appears on a statewide or local ballot for voters of that jurisdiction to decide.
- HBM Factbooks
- List of ballot measures by state
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Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks
The inventory of statewide ballot measures is part of Ballotpedia's Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks, which document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and voters on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they've covered, and the role they have played in our civic life. Click here to access the state historical ballot measure factbooks.
List of ballot measures by state
Alabama
See also: Alabama 1999 ballot measures
October 12
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Gambling policy |  | 568,289 (46%) | 672,802 (54%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Administration of government | | 535,894 (46%) | 640,679 (54%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Public education governance |
| 784,870 (68%) | 364,480 (32%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Public education governance |
| 784,870 (68%) | 364,480 (32%) |
Alaska
See also: Alaska 1999 ballot measures
September 17
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent Fund Advisory Question | Revenue allocation; Restricted-use funds | Advise the state government to use portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund to balance the state budget | | 30,994 (17%) | 153,996 (83%) |
Colorado
See also: Colorado 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referendum A | Transportation; Bond issues | Allow Colorado to borrow up to $1.7 billion to fund transportation projects. |
| 477,982 (62%) | 296,971 (38%) |
Iowa
See also: Iowa 1999 ballot measures
June 29
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | The measure would have required the governor and the legislature to approve budgets for general fund expenditures that were no more than 99 percent of estimated revenues. The measure also would have required that only 95 percent of new revenues be included in general fund expenditures. | | 211,934 (49%) | 218,101 (51%) | |
| Amendment 2 | State legislative vote requirements; Taxes | The measure would have required a three-fifths vote of all members of the legislature to increase income or sales taxes or to establish a new state tax. | | 205,317 (48%) | 222,126 (52%) |
Kansas
See also: Kansas 1999 ballot measures
April 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exempt Oil and Gas Production Equipment from Property Tax Amendment | Taxes | | 112,938 (42%) | 155,967 (58%) |
Louisiana
See also: Louisiana 1999 ballot measures
November 20
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State executive official measures | This measure proposed that a favorable recommendation from the Board of Pardons is required before the governor can commute a sentence or pardon a person convicted of a crime. |
| 376,785 (59%) | 260,460 (41%) | |
| Amendment 2 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | This amendment proposed that the state treasurer could invest funds from the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge Trust and Protection Fund and the Russell Sage or Marsh Island Refuge Fund in stocks. |
| 332,034 (53%) | 290,659 (47%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Public education governance | This measure proposed to allow the city of Zachary to form its own school system separate from the school district of East Baton Rouge Parish. |
| 341,697 (56%) | 269,312 (44%) | |
| Amendment 4 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | This measure proposed that after the backing of the state expires, the Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation may not be dissolved or sold to another insurance company. |
| 426,418 (67%) | 210,184 (33%) | |
| Amendment 5 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | It proposed to allow the Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation to participate in the Louisiana Insurance Guarantee Association after its backing by the state of Louisiana expires. |
| 413,040 (67%) | 207,290 (33%) | |
| Amendment 6 | State judiciary | This measure proposed that individuals 70 years of age or older may decline to serve on a jury if they so choose. |
| 444,112 (70%) | 194,762 (30%) |
October 23
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State legislative processes and sessions | This measure proposed a number of changes to the legislative sessions. It proposed that non-fiscal bills could be introduced in the fiscal-only sessions. In addition, it proposed that fiscal-only sessions should be lengthened. | | 383,176 (46%) | 445,704 (54%) | |
| Amendment 10 | Taxes | This measure proposed to grant a freeze on ad valorem taxes to renovated residential property in Orleans Parish that had been officially declared as blighted and was at least 40 years old. | | 427,324 (49%) | 445,587 (51%) | |
| Amendment 2 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | This amendment proposed that 75% of the payments from a 1998 settlement that Louisiana made with tobacco companies should be placed in a trust fund for college scholarships, local school districts and health programs. |
| 584,294 (70%) | 246,689 (30%) | |
| Amendment 3 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | This measure proposed that the state could opt to develop a budget on a biennial rather than an annual basis. | | 303,720 (36%) | 541,518 (64%) | |
| Amendment 4 | Civil service | It proposed to allow supplemental pay for certain state law enforcement officers. | | 411,429 (46%) | 482,600 (54%) | |
| Amendment 5 | Administration of government | This measure proposed to allow donation of surplus property from one local agency to another. |
| 449,224 (51%) | 425,456 (49%) | |
| Amendment 6 | Administration of government | This measure proposed that parish and local governments could receive donations of asphalt reclaimed from state highways. |
| 522,383 (59%) | 358,210 (41%) | |
| Amendment 7 | Higher education funding | This measure proposed that the state may not lower funding for colleges and universities in an area where a community college has been established until four years after the opening of the community college. | | 379,776 (43%) | 494,988 (57%) | |
| Amendment 8 | Criminal sentencing | It proposed to limit Louisiania's automatic pardon provision to first-time offenders who were convicted of non-violent crimes. |
| 473,901 (54%) | 409,136 (46%) | |
| Amendment 9 | Public education governance | This measure proposed to remove the constitutional provision that wards 9, 10 and 11 in Rapides Parish could form a school district separate from the parish school district in Rapides Parish. |
| 440,768 (51%) | 418,592 (49%) |
Maine
See also: Maine 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Abortion policy | Prohibit an abortion procedure referred to as partial-birth abortion | | 185,541 (44%) | 232,113 (56%) | |
| Question 2 | Marijuana laws | Permit patients with specific illnesses to cultivate marijuana for medical treatment if the use is approved by a doctor |
| 256,387 (61%) | 161,114 (39%) | |
| Question 3 | Railways; Ports and harbors; Highways and bridges; Bond issues | Issue more than $56 million in bonds to fund highway, bridge, airport, ferry, rail, marine, and public transit improvements |
| 305,308 (74%) | 107,594 (26%) | |
| Question 4 | Environment; Bond issues; Water | Issue $12.5 million in bonds for the closure and cleanup of solid waste landfills, tire stockpiles and hazardous waste discharges, as well as to construct drinking water system improvements |
| 304,622 (74%) | 106,474 (26%) | |
| Question 5 | Telecommunications infrastructure; Bond issues | Issue $9.4 million in bonds to convert the Maine Public Broadcasting corporation to a digital broadcasting system |
| 264,653 (64%) | 146,696 (36%) | |
| Question 6 | Higher education funding; Bond issues | Issue $26.42 million in bonds to fund technology libraries, laboratories, and facilities at Maine's seven technical colleges |
| 284,880 (70%) | 124,052 (30%) | |
| Question 7 | Bond issues; Environment; Agriculture policy; Parks, land, and natural area conservation | Issue $50 million in bonds to purchase public lands and easements statewide for conservation, water access, outdoor recreation, hunting and fishing, wildlife and fish habitat and farmland preservation |
| 282,512 (69%) | 128,872 (31%) | |
| Question 8 | Initiative and referendum process | Require that petitions for people's vetoes be voted upon at the next statewide or general election, rather than at special elections |
| 285,174 (71%) | 114,640 (29%) | |
| Question 9 | Property tax exemptions | Allow properties maintained for scenic views or historic preservation to receive a reduced property tax rate |
| 221,997 (55%) | 185,121 (45%) |
Mississippi
See also: Mississippi 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure 9 | State legislative term limits | | 299,564 (45%) | 364,644 (55%) |
Missouri
See also: Missouri 1999 ballot measures
April 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition A | Fees, licenses, and charges; Telecommunications infrastructure | Authorize the Missouri office of administration to establish a fee for every wireless telephone number of up to $0.50 per month to fund wireless enhanced 911 service | | 544,225 (43%) | 735,889 (57%) | |
| Proposition B | Firearms policy | Require sheriffs or chief of police to issue permits to carry concealed firearms to approved applicants if various statutory requirements are met | | 634,809 (48%) | 678,652 (52%) |
New Jersey
See also: New Jersey 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Transportation; Bond issues |
| 724,778 (64%) | 403,576 (36%) | |
| Question 2 | Veterans policy; Taxes |
| 886,481 (77%) | 258,972 (23%) | |
| Question 3 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance |
| 726,008 (65%) | 389,250 (35%) |
New York
See also: New York 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State judicial authority | Authorize temporarily assigning city court judges outside New York City to county, family or district courts. |
| 825,371 (61%) | 529,133 (39%) |
Ohio
See also: Ohio 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonds for Public Schools and Higher Education Institutions Amendment | Bond issues; Education | Authorize the issuance of bonds for educational improvements |
| 1,303,830 (61%) | 840,240 (39%) |
Oregon
See also: Oregon 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure 68 | Corrections governance; Administrative organization; Prison work regulations | Eliminate the Prison Industries Board, shifting responsibilities to the Director of the Department of Corrections. |
| 406,526 (58%) | 289,407 (42%) | |
| Measure 69 | Crime victims' rights | Provide victims with specified constitutional rights in criminal prosecutions and juvenile court delinquency proceedings |
| 406,393 (58%) | 292,419 (42%) | |
| Measure 70 | Civil and criminal trials | Provide the public with the right to demand a jury trial in criminal cases. | | 289,783 (42%) | 407,429 (58%) | |
| Measure 71 | Crime victims' rights; Bail policy | Require a court to consider the reasonable protection of the victim and public when deciding to pretrial release the accused person. |
| 404,404 (58%) | 292,696 (42%) | |
| Measure 72 | Civil and criminal trials | Allow a murder conviction by nonunanimous (11 to 1) jury verdict instead of an unanimous verdict. | | 316,351 (45%) | 382,685 (55%) | |
| Measure 73 | Civil and criminal trials | Limit immunity from criminal prosecution of person ordered to testify about his or her conduct, eliminating complete immunity. | | 320,160 (46%) | 369,843 (54%) | |
| Measure 74 | Civil and criminal trials | Require the terms of imprisonment announced in court to be fully served, with some exceptions. |
| 368,899 (53%) | 325,078 (47%) | |
| Measure 75 | Civil and criminal trials | Prohibit felons and persons convicted of a violent misdemeanor within the last five years from serving on grand juries and criminal trial juries. |
| 399,671 (58%) | 292,445 (42%) | |
| Measure 76 | Transportation | Require light and heavy vehicles to proportionately share highway costs through vehicle fees and a fuel tax. |
| 372,613 (54%) | 314,351 (46%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | State executive official measures | Revise procedures for filling governor and lieutenant governor vacancies. |
| 692,455 (74%) | 241,831 (26%) | |
| Proposition 10 | Administration of government; State executive official measures | Provide that the commissioner of health and human services serves under the governor and holds concurrent four-year terms. | | 439,505 (48%) | 478,875 (52%) | |
| Proposition 11 | Insurance policy | Allow political subdivisions to buy nonassessable property and casualty insurance from authorized mutual insurers. |
| 566,408 (62%) | 343,980 (38%) | |
| Proposition 12 | Taxes | Exempt leased motor vehicles not held primarily for income production from ad valorem taxes. |
| 530,181 (57%) | 398,705 (43%) | |
| Proposition 13 | Bond issues; Education | Issue $400 million in general obligation bonds to finance educational loans to students. |
| 674,249 (71%) | 275,392 (29%) | |
| Proposition 14 | Administration of government | Require state boards, commissions, or other agencies to be governed by a board with three or more members. |
| 664,727 (73%) | 243,307 (27%) | |
| Proposition 15 | Property | Allow spouses to convert separate property to community property. |
| 637,087 (67%) | 308,342 (33%) | |
| Proposition 16 | Local government organization; State judiciary structure | Require certain counties to be divided into a specific number of justice precincts. |
| 579,777 (64%) | 325,183 (36%) | |
| Proposition 17 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Allow the University of Texas Board of Regents to determine distribution of investment returns from the Permanent University Fund to the Available University Fund. |
| 553,859 (61%) | 350,718 (39%) | |
| Proposition 2 | Property; Business regulations | Redefine "reverse mortgage" to open the reverse mortgage market and require certain advances made on a reverse mortgage loan to be made according to loan document terms. |
| 583,884 (64%) | 325,162 (36%) | |
| Proposition 3 | Constitutional wording changes | Eliminate duplicative, executed, obsolete, archaic, and ineffective provisions of the Texas Constitution. |
| 720,085 (77%) | 217,856 (23%) | |
| Proposition 4 | Taxes | Exempt property owned by institutions primarily engaged in public charitable functions from ad valorem taxation. |
| 483,674 (52%) | 450,357 (48%) | |
| Proposition 5 | Salaries of government officials | Allow state employees to receive compensation for serving on local governing bodies. | | 427,043 (45%) | 513,295 (55%) | |
| Proposition 6 | Property | Increase maximum urban homestead size to ten acres, requiring residential use and preventing overuse. |
| 635,020 (67%) | 306,390 (33%) | |
| Proposition 7 | Law enforcement; Family-related policy | Allow wage garnishment to enforce court-ordered spousal maintenance. |
| 644,742 (67%) | 311,561 (33%) | |
| Proposition 8 | State executive branch structure; State National Guard and militia | Establish the office of adjutant general with four-year terms under the governor. | | 430,356 (47%) | 478,706 (53%) | |
| Proposition 9 | State judiciary | Create a judicial compensation commission to recommend judicial salaries. | | 369,235 (41%) | 533,061 (59%) |
Washington
See also: Washington 1999 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiative 695 | Fees, licenses, and charges; Tax and revenue administration; Property taxes | Require voter approval for tax increases, repeal existing fees and excise taxes for motor vehicles, and impose an annual $30 license tab fee |
| 992,715 (56%) | 775,054 (44%) | |
| Initiative 696 | Business regulations; Fisheries and fishing regulations | Prohibit commercial net fishing in fresh or marine waters, except for tribal fishing conducted under valid treaties. | | 682,380 (40%) | 1,044,872 (60%) | |
| SJR 8206 | Bond issues | Allow the state to guarantee payment of voter-approved school district general obligation debt as authorized by law |
| 984,122 (60%) | 648,262 (40%) | |
| SJR 8208 | State legislative authority; Budget stabilization funds | Permit the legislature to determine the Emergency Reserve Fund's investment | | 798,756 (49%) | 829,637 (51%) |
Wisconsin
See also: Wisconsin 1999 ballot measures
April 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Gambling policy; Property; Taxes | Require that gambling proceeds be used for property tax relief for residents |
| 648,903 (86%) | 105,976 (14%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
- • Campaign finance
- • Endorsements
- • Polls
Footnotes
