Elections 101: Ballot Measure Numbers

Did you know the actual ballot measure number has a specific meaning about the measure? Initiatives and referendums can range from 100 all the way through 400.

Ballot measures that begin with a one are Constitutional amendments. Any proposed amendment to the Constitution must be approved by voters and can be introduced by a voter initiative or legislative referendum. Proposition 105 (1998), which prohibits the legislature from amending citizens’ initiatives, is a well-known example of a constitutional amendment. Measures that begin with a two are citizen initiatives. As you may recall, in 2020, voters had two citizen initiatives: Proposition 207 which legalized recreational marijuana, and Proposition 208 which imposed a tax surcharge on certain income brackets for education funding.

Ballot measures beginning with a three are legislative referendums. In this instance, if sufficient signatures are gathered to demonstrate that voters are not supportive of a newly enacted law, the voters will have the opportunity to override the legislature’s law.  Finally, propositions beginning with a four are bond or budget override, or it is a local government issue. The Peoria Unified School District, for example, referred an override to the ballot in 2020 that would authorize a 13 percent maintenance and operations budget override continuation. 

This article was originally published by Eryn Streeter for the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) on Friday, July 22, 2022.