1993 ballot measures
This page provides a list of statewide ballot measures that appeared before voters in 1993.
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
California
See also: California 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 168 | Housing | Amend the constitutional definition of low-rent housing projects. |  | 1,946,559 (40%) | 2,898,211 (60%) | |
| Proposition 169 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Authorize a law relating to changes to appropriations in the budget. | | 1,811,118 (39%) | 2,868,591 (61%) | |
| Proposition 170 | Taxes; Bond issues; Education | Establish provisions relating to repaying school bonds, approval of bonds for schools, and levying fees for schools. | | 1,512,163 (31%) | 3,421,342 (69%) | |
| Proposition 171 | Taxes; Property | Authorize the legislature to extend special valuation provisions to replacement structures located in different counties. |
| 2,449,504 (52%) | 2,288,046 (48%) | |
| Proposition 172 | Taxes | Establish a revenue source from taxes for public safety purposes. |
| 2,893,680 (58%) | 2,113,094 (42%) | |
| Proposition 173 | Housing; Bond issues | Allow for the issuance of bonds up to $200,000,000 for mortgage guaranty insurance and establish the terms of such bonds. | | 2,037,804 (42%) | 2,791,573 (58%) | |
| Proposition 174 | School choice policy | Amend the state Constitution to require the state to establish a voucher program for schools. | | 1,561,514 (30%) | 3,567,833 (70%) |
Colorado
See also: Colorado 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referendum A | Taxes | Reinstate the 0.2% sales tax for tourism-related services and goods. | | 274,989 (45%) | 338,546 (55%) |
Louisiana
See also: Louisiana 1993 ballot measures
October 16
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | State legislatures measures | This measure proposed a number of rules to regulate legislative sessions. These rules limited the number of bills that could be introduced by a member and altered deadlines for introducing bills. |
| 266,567 (66%) | 140,373 (34%) | |
| Amendment 2 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | It proposed a plan to reduce state debt and limit state spending on debt service payments. |
| 288,385 (71%) | 116,605 (29%) | |
| Amendment 3 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | This measure proposed that prior to undertaking any project requiring a capital expenditure, a feasibility study must be conducted. |
| 282,654 (71%) | 117,539 (29%) | |
| Amendment 4 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | It proposed that nonrecurring funds must be spent to lower state debt. These funds could not be spent on recurring expenses. |
| 280,145 (70%) | 118,434 (30%) | |
| Amendment 5 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | This measure proposed that the governor's budget must report debt service payments for capital improvements. |
| 287,488 (72%) | 112,272 (28%) | |
| Amendment 6 | Taxes | It proposed that the homestead tax exemption be applied to certain owner-occupied mobile homes. |
| 240,774 (59%) | 167,657 (41%) |
Maine
See also: Maine 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Executive official term limits; State legislative term limits | Create term limits for the offices of state legislators, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general and state auditor, with all of these offices limited to four consecutive terms, except state auditor, which was limited to two consecutive terms |
| 159,785 (68%) | 76,732 (32%) | |
| Question 2 | Environment; Bond issues | Issue $5 million in bonds to fund the closure and remediation of municipal solid waste landfills |
| 125,629 (54%) | 105,008 (46%) | |
| Question 3 | Transportation; Bond issues | Issue $39.5 million in bonds for improvements to highways, state and local bridges, airports, cargo ports and the ferry service |
| 165,382 (71%) | 68,541 (29%) | |
| Question 4 | Bond issues; Water | Issue $15.15 million in bonds for the construction of water pollution control facilities |
| 149,673 (64%) | 82,488 (36%) | |
| Question 5 | Parks, land, and natural area conservation; State legislative processes and sessions | Requires a two-thirds vote of the legislature to reduce or change the purpose of state park, conservation, or recreation land |
| 169,485 (73%) | 63,056 (27%) | |
| Question 6 | Nuclear energy | Approve an interstate compact with Texas and Vermont for the disposal of the state's low-level radioactive waste at a proposed facility in the state of Texas |
| 170,411 (73%) | 63,672 (27%) |
Michigan
See also: Michigan 1993 ballot measures
June 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal A | Property taxes; Sales taxes; Public education funding | Change laws relating to taxation amounts and school funding | | 1,008,425 (46%) | 1,164,468 (54%) |
Montana
See also: Montana 1993 ballot measures
June 8
| Type | Title | Subject | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LR-111 | Taxes | | 78,349 (26%) | 228,587 (74%) |
New Jersey
See also: New Jersey 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Question 1 | Recall process |
|
New York
See also: New York 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Debt limits | Authorize localities to issue debts that does not incur annual interest |
| 1,210,520 (54%) | 1,041,416 (46%) | |
| Amendment 2 | Sewage and stormwater; Debt limits | Authorize localilites to exclude indebtedness contracted for the construction or reconstruction of sewage facilities |
| 1,139,532 (50%) | 1,117,137 (50%) | |
| Amendment 3 | Debt limits | Authorizes a principal payment or contributions to a sinking fund in installments that result in substantially level or declining debt service payments for state debts |
| 1,130,698 (52%) | 1,049,452 (48%) |
North Carolina
See also: North Carolina 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Increment Bonds Amendment | Bond issues; Public economic investment policy | Allow cities and counties to issue tax increment bonds without voter approval | | 197,762 (23%) | 651,190 (77%) |
Ohio
See also: Ohio 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonds for Enhancement of Natural Resources Amendment | Bond issues; Parks, land, and natural area conservation | Authorize the issuance of bonds to improve parks and recreation areas and enhance Ohio's natural resources |
| 1,547,841 (61%) | 1,008,172 (39%) |
Oregon
See also: Oregon 1993 ballot measures
November 9
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure 1 | Taxes; Education | Implement a five percent sales tax to provide additional funding to public education. | | 240,991 (25%) | 721,930 (75%) |
June 29
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure 1 | Public economic investment policy; Taxes; Bond issues | Allow local voters to authorize taxes outside constitutional limitations to repay urban renewal bonds. | | 180,070 (27%) | 482,714 (73%) |
Pennsylvania
See also: Pennsylvania 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parks and Libraries Bond Measure | Environment; Bond issues; Parks, land, and natural area conservation | issue $50 million in bonds for parks, wildlife habitats, historic sites, zoos, and public libraries |
| 1,023,834 (64%) | 576,169 (36%) |
May 18
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | State judiciary | create a judicial conduct board |
| 1,018,318 (83%) | 208,187 (17%) | |
| Question 2 | Veterans policy; Bond issues | issue $25 million in bonds for veteran compensation and memorial | | 429,728 (34%) | 821,415 (66%) |
South Dakota
See also: South Dakota 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referendum 1 | Gambling policy | Allow certain lodging establishments to have more gaming devices than other establishments, and increase the maximum bet limit | | 71,422 (44%) | 89,106 (56%) |
Texas
See also: Texas 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Bond issues; Public economic investment policy | Authorize the legislature to issue $50 million in bonds for economic recovery, development, job opportunities, and historically underutilized businesses. | | 332,248 (30%) | 767,543 (70%) | |
| Proposition 10 | Veterans policy; Bond issues | Authorize $750 million in general obligation bonds to support the Veterans' Land Fund and the Veterans' Housing Assistance fund. |
| 579,840 (53%) | 514,561 (47%) | |
| Proposition 11 | Public employee retirement funds; Administration of government | Require trustees of local public pension systems to administer the system for the benefit of its participants and beneficiaries. |
| 823,370 (76%) | 254,094 (24%) | |
| Proposition 12 | State judiciary; Law enforcement | Allow bail denial for those charged with certain violent or sexual offenses committed while under state or political subdivision supervision. |
| 997,890 (89%) | 122,547 (11%) | |
| Proposition 13 | State and local government budgets, spending, and finance | Expand funding for public higher education institutions, including the Texas State Technical College system. |
| 610,714 (58%) | 438,756 (42%) | |
| Proposition 14 | Prison and jail funding; Bond issues | Authorize up to $1 billion in general obligation bonds for corrections and mental health facilities. |
| 684,001 (62%) | 411,694 (38%) | |
| Proposition 15 | Local government officials and elections | Allow county voters to decide whether to abolish the office of county surveyor through an election. |
| 925,408 (86%) | 150,081 (14%) | |
| Proposition 16 | Bond issues; Agriculture policy | Authorize up to $100 million in bonds to fund the Texas Agricultural Fund for supporting agricultural businesses in the state. | | 476,715 (44%) | 594,889 (56%) | |
| Proposition 2 | Environment; Taxes | Exempt property used for pollution control from ad valorem taxation to promote pollution reduction and job preservation. |
| 626,586 (57%) | 475,384 (43%) | |
| Proposition 3 | Property; Administration of government | Clear land titles by releasing the state's fractional interest claim to property owners in Fort Bend and Austin counties. |
| 711,519 (67%) | 345,888 (33%) | |
| Proposition 4 | Taxes | Prohibit personal income tax without voter approval, directing revenue to education and limiting local school tax rates. |
| 775,822 (69%) | 343,638 (31%) | |
| Proposition 5 | Law enforcement; State legislatures measures | Allow the legislature to set sheriff qualifications. |
| 646,484 (59%) | 449,333 (41%) | |
| Proposition 6 | Local government officials and elections | Abolish the office of county surveyor in Jackson County. |
| 780,930 (76%) | 243,770 (24%) | |
| Proposition 7 | Business regulations | Repeal limitations on the purposes for which a corporation can issue stocks and bonds, enhancing their ability to raise capital. |
| 558,487 (53%) | 497,299 (47%) | |
| Proposition 8 | Local government officials and elections | Abolish the office of county surveyor in McLennan County. |
| 783,693 (77%) | 237,034 (23%) | |
| Proposition 9 | Property; Taxes | Modify the provisions for redeeming real property sold at a tax sale. |
| 628,156 (60%) | 416,450 (40%) |
May 1
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Taxes | Allow controlled ad valorem tax redistribution for schools, set minimum tax rates for local districts, and limit ad valorem taxes in county education districts | | 755,417 (37%) | 1,293,224 (63%) | |
| Proposition 2 | Public education governance | Allow school districts to opt out of unfunded state educational mandates | | 956,056 (49%) | 1,007,084 (51%) | |
| Proposition 3 | Public education funding; Bond issues | Authorize $750 million in state bonds for school district facilities and allow loan forgiveness for school facility financing | | 869,014 (44%) | 1,099,828 (56%) |
Washington
See also: Washington 1993 ballot measures
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HJR 4200 | Local government organization | Permit counties to employ chaplains for hospitals, health care facilities, and hospices |
| 851,333 (58%) | 608,252 (42%) | |
| HJR 4201 | State judicial authority | Provide district courts jurisdiction over cases in equity |
| 857,094 (67%) | 427,702 (33%) | |
| Initiative 593 | State judicial authority; Criminal trials | Require "persistent offenders," persons convicted three or more times for serious offenses, to serve a life sentence. |
| 1,135,521 (76%) | 364,567 (24%) | |
| Initiative 601 | Revenue and spending limits | Limit expenditures by inflation rates and population growth and require referendums for taxes exceeding the limit |
| 774,342 (51%) | 737,735 (49%) | |
| Initiative 602 | Tax and revenue administration; Revenue and spending limits | Limit state revenue collections and expenditures based on personal income. | | 673,378 (45%) | 836,047 (55%) |
Wisconsin
See also: Wisconsin 1993 ballot measures
April 6
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Gambling policy | Allow gambling casinos on excursion vessels | | 465,432 (44%) | 604,289 (56%) | |
| Question 2 | Gambling policy | Restrict gambling casinos |
| 646,827 (61%) | 416,722 (39%) | |
| Question 3 | Gambling policy | Allow video poker and other forms of video gambling | | 358,045 (34%) | 702,864 (66%) | |
| Question 4 | Gambling policy | Continue to allow pari-mutuel on-track betting |
| 548,580 (52%) | 507,403 (48%) | |
| Question 5 | Gambling policy | Allow the state-operated lottery to continue |
| 773,306 (73%) | 287,585 (27%) | |
| Question 6 | Crime victims' rights | Ensure that the guaranteed privileges and protections of crime victims are protected |
| 861,405 (84%) | 163,087 (16%) | |
| Question 7 | Gambling policy | Clarify that all forms of gambling other than bingo, raffles, pari-mutuel ontrack betting and the current state-run lottery are prohibited |
| 623,987 (59%) | 435,180 (41%) |
Other years
Click on a year in the following table to view that year’s state ballot measures.
See also
Footnotes
