Nationally, nonprofits win on state ballot initiatives

From the National Council of Nonprofits

Among the many state ballot initiatives this year, several posed serious concern to nonprofits, but none was graver than Question 1 in Massachusetts. Had it passed, it would have slashed an estimated $12 billion from the state's $47 billion budget, and resulted in higher fees for services that are currently no-cost through nonprofit organizations.

Citizens in North Dakota defeated Measure 2 that would have cost the state some $400 million per biennium in income tax reductions and put at risk long-term funding for K-12 schools, higher education, public safety, health care and other vital services.

In Arizona, citizens rejected Proposition 105 the so-called “Majority Rules” initiative that would have amended the Arizona Constitution to require that nearly every initiative placed on the ballot by citizens receive the support of a majority of all registered voters, not just those casting a vote for that measure. Click here to read more.

There were losses too: Colorado voted down Amendment 59, which would have allocated revenue above the Taxpayers Bill of Rights limits for K-12 education. The defeat of this initiative maintained this section of Colorado’s TABOR in its original form. Also, Nebraska voters passed a measure that supporters called the “Civil Rights Initiative,” which prohibits affirmative action and bans racial preferences. In addition, Oregon nonprofits lost a hard-fought battle over Measure 64 when voters approved a ban on the collection of money using state resources, including government employee-giving campaigns, for broad political purposes. Thus the measure would jeopardize the use of state payroll deductions for nonprofits.

And some too close to call: As of Nov. 6, Colorado’s Amendment 46, another so-called “Civil Rights Initiative” similar to the one in Nebraska, was too close to call. Check Ballotpedia.org for updates.

Thanks to the efforts of the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, the Colorado Nonprofit Association, the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands, the Nonprofit Association of Oregon, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for their work on behalf of the common good!