- Four states have ballot questions related to abortion and contraceptives
- Legalizing marijuana will be up for voters to decided in at least five states this year
- Outlawing slavery and indentured servitude is a referendum in five states as well
Forget waiting for Congress or state legislatures to act. This year’s midterm elections are offering voters an opportunity to shape public policy directly in the form of state ballot initiatives on major national issues.
The country witnessed the power of those referendums when voters in Kansas, typically considered a safe red state, rejected an anti-abortion measure by a decisive 61%-39% margin in the nation’s first test vote onthe volatile issue last August.
With the midterms at hand, voters are being asked to weigh in on reproductive rights, legalizing marijuana and even slavery.
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Early voting 2022 schedule: When early and in-person absentee voting starts in each state
Voters will determine in at least five states whether to officially abolish involuntary servitude as a form of punishment, a question that could lead to a national rethinking on U.S. prison policy. Other ballot initiatives focus on the right to abortion and increasing minimum wage.
Many of those topics have stalled in Washington, where gridlock has devoured reform efforts.
But whether through direct ballot initiative grown by grassroots organizations via petition or indirect…
