Nearly 150 ballot issues on abortion, gun and marijuana will be included nationwide in Tuesday's elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the measures are expected to bring out more voters for the nation's state and national races as well.
Measures to allow the recreational use of marijuana for adults will be on the ballots in Alaska, Oregon, and the District of Columbus,
reports Fox News.
While the measures in Oregon and Alaska, if passed, will allow for the retail sale of marijuana to anyone of legal drinking age, the D.C. measure makes it legal to grow and possess marijuana, but not to sell it to others.
In yet another state, Florida, residents will vote on whether medical marijuana will be allowed. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist supports the measure, while Republican incumbent Gov. Rick Scott opposes it.
The measure could spur the state's large numbers of senior citizens, who head there to retire, to vote, even though the marijuana debate causes some to speculate that more young voters could flood the polls.
In addition, measures concerning abortion are among the debate in several states. Colorado's "personhood" amendment, which adds fetuses to those protected by the state's criminal and wrongful death act, is being criticized by opponents as a measure that could lead to abortions.
Similar personhood measures are on the ballots in North Dakota and Tennessee.
Gun-related measures are on the Washington ballots. One of the issues seeks background checks for gun sales and transfers, even private deals, and the other measure prohibits the expansion from covering private sellers' transactions.
Even food is coming up for a vote in two states, with Colorado and Oregon proposing measures requiring certain genetically modified foods to be labeled. The plans apply to both raw and packaged foods, but not to food that is served in restaurants.
And Massachusetts voters will decide on a ballot issue whether to repeal a law passed in 2011 to authorize development of a slots parlor and as many as three resort casinos.
Although the law has been effect for three years, none of the gambling centers have been built.
According to a recent Tufts University study, elections that have such issues often invite a higher turnout, especially in midterm elections, but extra media coverage appears to be necessary to attract the turnout.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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