by Alicia M. Cohn
Human Events

Voters had the opportunity to speak on several issue-based initiatives and referendums nationwide this election day.  While the governor races drew national attention to Virginia and New Jersey, some of the most significant issues considered by voters this year appeared on ballots in Maine and Washington state. The big issues this year, unsurprisingly, seemed to be the economy and spending, with votes on spending limits in Maine and the state of Washington. In addition, a campaign to legalize casinos in Ohio based their argument on the state’s economic needs.

Very early on the day after the election, the various states had posted the following results:

Spending limits

A spending limit measure known as the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) returned to ballots this year. Colorado implemented a TABOR amendment in 1992, and according to Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), similar measures have been considered in a variety of states nationwide, with Maine and Washington the latest states to put it on the ballot. Joshua Culling, state government affairs manager for National Taxpayers Union (NTU), explained that the three major points shared by both initiatives are the main rights included in TABOR: limiting the growth of government to a predictable level, refunding surplus revenue to taxpayers, and allowing voters to approve or deny any new or increased taxes.   Read more......