Here are some important ballot initiatives that passed in the midterm election – and those that didn’t

Voters register at a polling station in Manhattan of New York, the United States, on Nov. 6, 2018. Getty Images/Xinhua/Li Rui
Voters register at a polling station in Manhattan of New York, the United States, on Nov. 6, 2018. Getty Images/Xinhua/Li Rui
  • A number of very important ballot measures, like versions of Marsy’s Law, have passed, granting crime victims more rights in the judicial process.
  • But a number of initiatives have failed as well, like marijuana legalization in Missouri and Medicaid expansion in Montana.
  • The results show that progressive ballot measures did well, including those about minimum wage and enfranchisement of felons.

During the 2018 midterm elections, 157 ballot measures were up for consideration. There are a number of very important ballot initiatives concerning a variety of topics like gun control and criminal justice that have passed and several that did not. Here, we highlight a few of those measures.

Voters in six states approved numerous versions of a Marsy’s Law, which grants crime victims more rights in the judicial process. Such laws passed in California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Kentucky, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

In Florida, voting rights for 1.4 million former convicts have been restored with the passing of Amendment 4. According to CBS News, this enfranchises the “largest population in U.S. history since women’s suffrage.”

Another interesting amendment passed in Florida, a measure that prohibits on racing or betting on greyhounds or other dogs by 2020.

Arkansas and Missouri have raised their minimum wage a little higher. Arkansas will raise their’s from $8.50 to $11 an hour by 2021, while Missouri will raise their’s from $7.85 to $12 by 2023.

Michigan voters approved a measure to legalize recreational marijuana, while Missouri voters rejected a similar amendment.

Idaho, Nebraska and Utah voted to pass Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. This means individuals under 65 whose income is 138% or below the nation’s poverty line will now be covered under Medicaid. On the other hand, Montana rejected the ballot measure.

In Oregon, voters rejected a measure that aims to prevent public funding of abortions, while voters in Alabama and West Virginia approved a similar amendment.

 

Trump blamed California’s “poor” forest management for the recent wildfires, but more than half of the states’ forests are controlled by the federal government.

 

A Cal Fire firefighter sprays water on a home next to a burning home as the Camp Fire moves through the area on November 9, 2018 in Magalia, California. Getty Images/Justin Sullivan
A Cal Fire firefighter sprays water on a home next to a burning home as the Camp Fire moves through the area on November 9, 2018 in Magalia, California. Getty Images/Justin Sullivan
  • President Donald Trump blames California’s “poor” forest management for the most recent wildfires that killed eleven people and drove 250,000 residents out of their homes.
  • However, he fails to mention that more than half of the state’s forests are controlled at the federal level by the Department of Agriculture.
  • Trump also continues to ignore global warming as a major factor for these wildfires, among other extreme weather disasters.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump reacted to the most recent California wildfires by blaming California’s “poor” forest management for the disaster. There were no mentions of the eleven people killed in the wildfire, nor the thousands of homes that the fire destroyed. He went as far as to say he will stop funding the state with fire assistance if it doesn’t do anything to remedy the problem.

Trump has repeatedly showed his disapproval of California’s forest management practices, both on and offline. At a cabinet meeting, Trump said the incompetence in California is “costing our country hundreds of billions of dollars,” reported ABC News. Back in August, Trump also tweeted that the wildfires were becoming worse due to “bad environmental laws” in the state.

Despite his strong belief that California’s solely responsible for forest mismanagement, Trump may be wrong. Experts told the Sacramento Bee that the federal government controls more than 20 million acres of California’s forests, which makes up more than half of the forests in the state. The group in control is the Forest Service, which is a part of the federal Department of Agriculture.

Trump also continues to ignore global warming as a factor of worsening forest fires.

As this Weather Channel segment explains, the warming climate is increasing the possibility and magnitude of wildfires.

“Weather plays a huge role in how explosive a wild fire can be,” says presenter Stephanie Abrams. “Over the past few decades, the climate in the western U.S. has become more conducive for wildfires with overall warmer dryer weather.”

Three major fires are eating up California – the Camp Fire, the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire. A total of 176,100 acres have been destroyed, according to Vox, forcing more than 250,000 people in California to evacuate.