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NEWS
Election 2012

Several key ballot issues up for vote

By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY
Gay marriage supporters gather at a rally outside of City Hall in Portland, Maine, in support of an upcoming ballot question that seeks to legalize same-sex marriage.

Along with the presidential race, voters will tackle more than 1,000 ballot measures when they head to the polls on Tuesday.

Here's a look at the key ballot initiatives up for vote:

Social issues:

Right-to die. Massachusetts may become the first state outside the Pacific Northwest to approve physician-supported suicide for terminally ill patients. The Death With Dignity Act is based on the laws approved by voters in Oregon in 1994 and Washington in 2008.

Gay marriage. Maine may become the first state in which voters legalize same-sex marriage. Maryland and Washington voters consider reversing state legislatures decision to permit same-sex marriage. Minnesota votes on outlawing same-sex marriage.

Food. California considers requiring genetically modified foods to be labeled as "genetically engineered." The state estimates that 40% to 70% of food sold in groceries stores has genetically altered ingredients, a practice that improves yield and disease resistance. Food companies have spent more than $40 million to defeat the proposition.

Abortion. Florida and Montana voters will decide whether to require parental consent for minors to have an abortion. The small slate of abortion measures follows the defeat in Mississippi last year and Colorado in 2008 of an effort to expand abortion restrictions by definining a fertilized egg as a person.

Death penalty. California voters consider banning the death penalty. The state has executed 13 since 1978 and has 727 prisoners on death row. Not since Oregon voters abolished the death penalty in 1964 — and reinstated it in 1978 — has a ballot measure ended capital punishment, reports the Death Penalty Information Center.

Political issues:

Voter ID. Minnesota voters consider a constitutional amendment to require showing photo identification to vote. Republicans put the measure on the ballot after winning control of the legislature in 2010.

Segregation. Alabama voters decide whether to remove language from the state constitution that already has been struck down by courts: "separate schools shall be provided for white and colored children, and no child of either race shall be permitted to attend a school of the other race." Black legislators oppose the proposal, saying the deletion doesn't go far enough and preserves language that public education isn't a right.

Health care. Alabama, Montana, Florida, and Wyoming consider laws that would reject the mandate that individuals have health insurance as required in the Affordable Care Act.

Government pay. Nebraskans vote on whether to raise legislators' pay from $12,000 to $22,500 a year. South Dakotans decide if legislators should set their reimbursement rates for travel, rather than the current 5-cents-per-mile fixed rate. New Jersey considers making judges pay more for pensions and benefits.

Collective bargaining. Michigan has several union-sponsored measures to strengthen their bargaining power. California considers a proposition to weaken unions' political clout by banning payroll deductions for political spending. Idaho voters rule on a Republican-led collective bargaining overhaul for teachers passed in 2011 that limits contract length, restricts bargaining to pay and benefits, phases out teacher tenure and adds merit pay.

Taxes and spending:

Tax limits. Washington considers reaffirming a law requiring two-thirds legislative support for tax hikes. Voters approved the measure in 1993, 1998, 2007 and 2010, but the legislature can suspend the requirement — and often does — by a majority vote after two years. Michigan considers a similar two-thirds rule for tax hikes. Floridians vote on a constitutional amendment that limits tax revenue growth to changes in population and inflation. New Hampshire may add a ban on a state income tax — a tax the state doesn't have — to its constitution. Oregon considers killing its estate tax, which starts at 10% for married couples with $2 million in non-farm assets.

Property taxes. Oklahoma considers ending a property tax that costs airlines, utilities and pipeline companies $50 million annually for software, patents, leases and other non-phsyical property. Oregon may eliminate real estate transfer taxes. In Ohio, 194 school districts have tax levies on the ballot. Milford Township, Mich., outside Detroit, considers a $190,000 tax hike for a three-acre skate park.

Sales tax. Arizona, Arkansas, California and South Dakota have sales tax hikes on the ballot. Arizona wants voters to renew a temporary one-cent sales tax, approved in 2010, that raises $1 billion annually. Arkansas wants a half-cent increase to improve its highways. Missouri considers raising its lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax from 17 cents to 90 cents per pack.

California. The state's budget woes have generated four ballot major measures. Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 30 would raise the sales tax from 7.25% to 7.5% and hike the top income tax rate from 10.3% to 13.3% for seven years, bringing in up to $9 billion a year. A separate measure would close a tax break that lets corporations, mostly high-tech companies and Hollywood studios, compute taxes two ways and choose the less costly.

Local governments. More than 600 local governments are asking voters to approve higher taxes or new borrowing. Portland, Ore., wants all residents older than 18 and above the poverty line to pay a $35 tax to support the arts. Napa, San Mateo and Santa Clara are among California counties asking for sales tax increases.

Borrowing. The San Diego school district requests borrowing $2.8 billion to upgrade school facilities. The Miami-Dade public schools want to borrow $1.2 billion. Nationwide, bond issue requests have dropped since the real estate boom ended.

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