1911 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 1911.
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
- Other years
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
Arizona
See also: Arizona 1911 ballot measures
December 12
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constitution Ratification Measure | State constitution ratification | Ratification of a revised state constitution |
| 14,963 (89%) | 1,890 (11%) |
February 9
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constitution Ratification Measure | State constitution ratification | Ratification of a state constitution |
| 12,187 (79%) | 3,302 (21%) |
California
See also: California 1911 ballot measures
October 10
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Business regulations; State legislative authority | Allow the legislature to pass laws regarding the measurement, weighing, and inspection of goods. |
| 165,881 (76%) | 53,668 (24%) | |
| Proposition 10 | Workers' compensation laws | Allow the legislature to compel employers to provide compensation to workers in the event of a work-related accident. |
| 147,567 (69%) | 65,255 (31%) | |
| Proposition 11 | Local official term limits | Remove the our-year term limit for those whose position is created under a local charter and who hold office in accordance with civil service laws. |
| 133,747 (69%) | 60,131 (31%) | |
| Proposition 12 | Railways; Business regulations | Allow the state railroad commission to regulate and control certain commodities and services for the public |
| 140,146 (66%) | 72,283 (34%) | |
| Proposition 13 | Local government organization; Local government officials and elections | Allow certain charters to set qualifications for employees of the courts, set terms regarding board of education members, set election procedures, and establish merger of municipalities guidelines. |
| 132,634 (67%) | 64,790 (33%) | |
| Proposition 14 | Utility policy | Expand what utilities are included in the category "public works" and increase regulations on private utility companies. |
| 133,411 (68%) | 64,221 (32%) | |
| Proposition 15 | Public education governance | Restrict alternations to school textbooks for a four years after their start of use in schools to alternations that do not require the purchase of a new textbook. |
| 168,010 (79%) | 43,943 (21%) | |
| Proposition 16 | Administrative organization; Railways | Increase the number of railroad commissioners from three to five, lengthen their terms from four years to six, and change the commission as an appointed one. |
| 133,476 (64%) | 76,240 (36%) | |
| Proposition 17 | Local government officials and elections | Allow counties and cities to prescribe an amount higher than the plurality when determining the winner of an election. |
| 137,156 (70%) | 59,042 (30%) | |
| Proposition 18 | State judicial authority; State judiciary structure | Remove state judicial power from justices of the peace, give the superior court original jurisdiction in property value cases, and allow for courts to replace justice of the peace. |
| 104,105 (51%) | 98,923 (49%) | |
| Proposition 19 | Railways; Business regulations | Expand the list of government officials who are able to receive a free or discounted railroad ticket from railroad companies |  | 100,014 (49%) | 106,146 (51%) | |
| Proposition 2 | Local government officials and elections | Allow counties to adopt their own charters and provide for the election or appointment of county officers. |
| 130,828 (63%) | 76,177 (37%) | |
| Proposition 20 | State judicial selection | Provide that the clerk of the supreme court is an appointed position. |
| 122,751 (61%) | 79,284 (39%) | |
| Proposition 21 | State judiciary oversight; Impeachment rules | Provide for the impeachment of state officers and judges. |
| 157,596 (76%) | 49,345 (24%) | |
| Proposition 22 | Property tax exemptions; Veterans policy | Provide for a $1,000 property tax exemption for military veterans who were honorably discharged |
| 106,554 (52%) | 96,891 (48%) | |
| Proposition 23 | Business regulations; Railways | Establish procedures related to railroad and other transportation companies. |
| 144,205 (69%) | 63,380 (31%) | |
| Proposition 3 | State legislative processes and sessions | Change state legislative sessions from one continuous session to a session of a maximum of 30 days, then a recess of at least 30 days, then another session. |
| 127,794 (62%) | 79,348 (38%) | |
| Proposition 4 | Women's suffrage; Sex and gender issues | Provide for women's suffrage in state constitution. |
| 125,037 (51%) | 121,450 (49%) | |
| Proposition 5 | Railways; Eminent domain policy | Allow using eminent domain for railroad construction for logging or lumber and designate organizations that use eminent domain for such as common carriers. |
| 141,436 (71%) | 58,105 (29%) | |
| Proposition 6 | Local government organization; Local government officials and elections | Allow cities to vote on changes to the city charter more often, allow an extra session for the the local legislature to approve amendments, change the newspaper-charter posting requirement, allow cities to establish elector requirements for charter establishment, and allow borough system charters. |
| 120,904 (61%) | 77,499 (39%) | |
| Proposition 7 | Initiative and referendum process | Create an initiative and referendum process |
| 168,744 (76%) | 52,093 (24%) | |
| Proposition 8 | Recall process | Provide for the recall of elected officials |
| 178,115 (77%) | 53,755 (23%) | |
| Proposition 9 | Criminal trials | Prohibit a retrial for criminal cases unless the court finds that an error resulted in a miscarriage of justice. |
| 158,549 (75%) | 53,988 (25%) |
Maine
See also: Maine 1911 ballot measures
September 11
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Alcohol laws | Repeal and annul the 26th amendment adopted on September 8, 1884, which prohibited the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors | | 60,095 (50%) | 60,853 (50%) | |
| Question 2 | State capitals | Make Augusta the seat of state government |
| 59,678 (59%) | 41,294 (41%) | |
| Question 3 | Local government finance and taxes; Debt limits; Local government organization | Permit municipalities of 40,000 inhabitants or more to increase their indebtedness to 7.5 percent |
| 39,240 (50%) | 38,712 (50%) | |
| Question 4 | Primary election systems | Provide that the nomination of candidates for any state or county office would be made at and by primary elections |
| 65,810 (75%) | 21,774 (25%) |
Massachusetts
See also: Massachusetts 1911 ballot measures
November 7
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allow the Legislature to Take More Land Than Necessary for Building Highways and Roads Amendment | Land use and development policy | Permit the legislature to take more land than is necessary to build highways or roads |
| 197,761 (67%) | 98,546 (33%) | |
| Permit the Use of Voting Machines in Elections Amendment | Election administration and governance | Allow the use of voting machines in elections |
| 197,255 (65%) | 107,924 (35%) |
Michigan
See also: Michigan 1911 ballot measures
April 3
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds for Primary Schools Amendment | Public education funding | Amend the distribution of funds for primary schools |
| 246,167 (68%) | 118,391 (32%) |
New Mexico
See also: New Mexico 1911 ballot measures
January 21
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Constitution Ratification Question | State constitution ratification | Ratify the New Mexico Constitution |
| 31,742 (70%) | 13,399 (30%) |
New York
See also: New York 1911 ballot measures
November 4
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Salaries of government officials | Increase the salaries of legislators | | 262,490 (39%) | 414,404 (61%) | |
| Amendment 2 | State judiciary structure; State judicial authority | Remove the authority of appellate division justices to set the times and places for special court terms, assign judges to those terms and make rules governing them | | 267,194 (43%) | 352,830 (57%) | |
| Amendment 3 | State judiciary structure | Allow for additional county judges for Kings County | | 247,764 (41%) | 360,859 (59%) | |
| Amendment 4 | Public land policy | Establish guidelines for the process of taking private property for public use | | 254,095 (42%) | 357,881 (58%) | |
| Amendment 5 | Salaries of government officials | Increase the salary of the governor | | 252,791 (40%) | 376,455 (60%) | |
| Amendment 7 | Public land policy | Authorize the Supreme Court to ascertain compensation for private property taken for public use | | 274,846 (46%) | 322,782 (54%) | |
| Amendmnet 6 | Ports and harbors | Regulate abandonment of canals and the use of funds derived from the abandonment | | 282,893 (47%) | 324,465 (53%) |
Oklahoma
See also: Oklahoma 1911 ballot measures
April 25
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Question 25 | Eminent domain policy; Transportation | Allow out-of-state railroad, transportation, or transmission companies to operate by filing incorporation documents and appointing a resident agent. | | 41,768 (47%) | 46,662 (53%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 1911 ballot measures
July 22
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Alcohol laws | Enact a statewide prohibition on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages | | 231,096 (49%) | 237,393 (51%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
Footnotes
