Georgia 2016 ballot measures
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| HIGHLIGHTS | |
Georgia currently does not allow any form of citizen initiated ballot measures, so all ballot measures must be referred by the legislature. The state legislative session ran from January 11 through March 25, 2016, during which time the Georgia Legislature was able to place legislatively referred constitutional amendments on the ballot. The legislature can put a proposed amendment on the ballot upon a two-thirds majority vote in both the legislative chambers. The legislature can repeal a vote to put a proposed amendment on the ballot with a two-thirds vote of both chambers when the vote is done at least two months prior to the election. Constitutional amendments must be approved by a majority of the electorate.
One advisory question, regarding school choice, was put before Republican voters during the primary on May 24, 2016. About 75 percent of Republicans voted in favor of the question, and about 25 percent voted against it. Four advisory questions, regarding Medicaid, paid family leave, "natural vegetative buffers," and automatic voter registration were put before Democratic voters during the primary. All four questions had more "yes" votes than "no" votes, with about 84 percent of Democrats voting in favor of the first question and about 16 percent voting against it, about 89 percent voting in favor of the second question and about 11 percent voting against it, about 88 percent voting in favor of the third question and about 13 percent voting against it, and about 80 percent voting in favor of the fourth question and about 20 percent voting against it.[1][2]
Historical facts
- See also: List of Georgia ballot measures
- Between 1996 and 2014, 71 measures have appeared on the ballot in Georgia.
- Since 1996, there has been an average of about seven measures on the ballot in even-numbered years.
- Between 1996 and 2014, 58 of 71 measures, or 82 percent, were approved and 13 of 71 measures, or 18 percent, were defeated.
On the ballot
The 2016 regular session of the Georgia State Legislature ended on March 25, 2016. The legislature put four ballot measures on the 2016 ballot; two were approved for the ballot in 2015 and two were referred to voters in the 2016 legislative session.
| Type | Title | Subject | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Amendment 1 | Education | State intervention in “chronically failing” public schools |
| LRCA | Amendment 2 | Gov't finances | Revenue for the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund |
| LRCA | Amendment 3 | State judiciary | Judicial Qualifications Commission |
| LRCA | Amendment 4 | Taxes | Use of tax revenue from fireworks |
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Marijuana Legalization Amendment | Marijuana | Authorizes the legislature to legalize recreational marijuana | 
|
| LRCA | Independent School System Amendment | Education | Allows municipalities to establish independent school districts |
|
| LRCA | Sales Tax for Education Distributed on Per Student Basis Amendment | Education | Distributes revenue for education from the sales tax on a per-student basis among all the school systems within a county |
|
State profile
This excerpt is reprinted here with the permission of the 2016 edition of the Almanac of American Politics and is up to date as of the publication date of that edition. All text is reproduced verbatim, though links have been added by Ballotpedia staff. To read the full chapter on Georgia, click here.
Until recently, Georgia has not been one of the nation’s most prominent states. It was the last of the 13 colonies to be founded, by British Gen. James Oglethorpe in 1733, as an “asylum of the unfortunate,” reserved for debtors and other outcasts from England. Oglethorpe, a humanitarian, forbade slavery, but the settlers rebelled and repealed his ban in 1750. In 1790, the first census showed Georgia with the smallest population of any of the original 13 states except tiny Delaware and Rhode Island. It was only the fifth largest slave state when the Civil War began. Early in the 20th century, Georgia was still largely agrarian and sparsely populated. Then, beginning in the 1970s, the state shared in the growth explosion taking place in the South. By 2000, it was ranked in the top 10 most populous states, and by 2012, it was the eighth largest state. This is the result mainly of the stunning growth in metro Atlanta, which spreads out over the red clay hills of 29 of Georgia’s 159 counties and which grew from 3.1 million people in 1990 to 4.2 million in 2000 and 5.3 million in 2010. Growth slowed in the 2007-09 recession, and foreclosures became ... (read more)
| Demographic data for Georgia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 9,907,756 | 314,107,084 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 57,513 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 51.2% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity | ||
| White: | 55% | 62.8% |
| Black/African American: | 30.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3.5% | 5% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 2.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9.1% | 16.9% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85% | 86.3% |
| College graduation rate: | 28.3% | 29.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $49,342 | $53,482 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 18.5% | 14.8% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2014) | ||
Presidential Voting Pattern
The percentages below show Georgia voter preference in general election presidential races.
Georgia vote percentages
- 2012: 45.5% Democratic / 53.3% Republican
- 2008: 47% Democratic / 52.2% Republican
- 2004: 41.4% Democratic / 58% Republican
- 2000: 43% Democratic / 54.7% Republican
U.S. vote percentages
- 2012: 51.1% Democratic / 47.2% Republican
- 2008: 52.9% Democratic / 45.7% Republican
- 2004: 48.3% Democratic / 50.7% Republican
- 2000: 48.4% Democratic / 47.9% Republican
More Georgia coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Georgia
- United States congressional delegations from Georgia
- Public policy in Georgia
- Influencers in Georgia
- Verbatim Georgia fact checks
- More...
External links
- Georgia Proposed Constitutional Amendments General Election November 8, 2016
- Georgia Secretary of State
- Secretary of State's elections website
See also
- 2016 ballot measures
- List of Georgia ballot measures
- Campaign finance requirements for Georgia ballot measures
Footnotes
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