Ballot bonanza: voters took on the role of policymakers for a slew of issues, from capital punishment to taxes.

• Author: Underhill, Wendy
• Position: ELECTION 2016

No crystal ball can reveal with certainty what issues legislatures will take up in the future; prognosticators would do better looking at the most recent crop of ballot measures. This year, marijuana and firearms got the lion's share of the press coverage, but issues around taxes, labor, economic development, infrastructure, education and health care funding were all on the ballot, too. It's no stretch to say those topics will also be on lawmakers' agendas in coming sessions.

Of note in Election 2016 was how the measures made it onto ballots: 72 were citizens' initiatives--more than twice as many as in 2014, and the most since 2006. Legislatures, however, referred fewer than average issues to the voters to decide.

How did they fare? Voters said yes to a significantly greater number of ballot measures this year than on average. For those sent to the ballot by citizens, 73 percent passed, whereas the average over the last dozen years has been 45 percent. Legislatively referred measures always do better than citizen initiatives, and that was true this year as well: 83 percent were approved, higher than the average of 75 percent.

From a legislative perspective, though, citizen initiatives are second best. "By the time a bill comes to fruition [in the Legislature], it has gone through a very thorough examination, both policy-wise and fiscally," says California Senate President Kevin de Leon (D). "Democracy by the people sounds good, but oftentimes there are very severe unintended consequences that do more harm than good. That's why you have a legislative branch of government."

Here's what voters decided this year.

Money Matters, a Lot

Bonds did well. In fact, all 12 state bond measures passed. That means transportation infrastructure will be upgraded in Maine and Rhode Island. California and New Mexico will improve schools and libraries.

Tax increases did not fare as well, with only a handful getting approval. Voters said no to measures that would have increased the annual minimum tax on corporations with sales of more than $25 million in Oregon; eliminated the deductibility of federal income taxes when calculating corporate taxes in Louisiana; and upped the sales tax by 1 percent in Oklahoma.

Washington's proposed carbon emissions tax also failed, as did Colorado's stab at funding a state-based single-payer health plan.

Voters in Maine and California, however, said yes to increasing taxes on the wealthy. Maine added a 3 percent tax surcharge on...