Ballot Initiatives & Charter Amendments

Ballot initiatives occur when a question is added to a ballot by petition, which was signed by a requisite number of registered voters. Not all jurisdictions allow for ballot initiatives; however, in 2016, ballot initiatives regarding ranked choice voting passed in the State of Maine and Benton County, Oregon. Below are links about these two ballot initiatives.

IN PRACTICE: State of Maine Question 5

• Petition
• Maine Citizen's Guide to the Referendum Election 2016 - Question 5 Description Begins on Page 48
• Statute

IN PRACTICE: Benton County, Oregon Measure 2-100

• Ballot Measure
• Voter Pamphlet November 2016 – ballot measure description begins on page 16

Charter Amendments

While some charter amendments may occur by initiative, governments may also change a charter by legislative action, referendum, or charter commission depending upon the jurisdiction. While some municipal or county governments must have state-level approval for changes to their governing documents, others do not have this requirement. The links below are examples of charter amendments to implement ranked choice voting:

IN PRACTICE: Hendersonville, NC 2009 Pilot Resolution

IN PRACTICE: Memphis Charter Amendment

IN PRACTICE: Portland, ME Charter

IN PRACTICE: San Francisco, CA Ballot Proposition A

• Ballot Proposition
• Voter Information Pamphlet and Sample Ballot 2002– ballot proposition description begins on page 37

IN PRACTICE: Santa Fe, NM Charter Amendment Resolution

IN PRACTICE: Sarasota Charter Amendment

IN PRACTICE: Springfield, IL Charter Referendum

IN PRACTICE: Takoma Park, MD Ballot Question and Charter Resolution