The U.S. midterm elections will not only determine who will occupy the Congressional seats and governorships up for grabs in November. In several states, voters will also find ballot measures seeking to amend laws, approve tax changes, or add new provisions to state constitutions.

These measures allow certain public policy decisions to be put directly to voters, either through initiatives introduced by state legislatures or through citizen-led processes. From voting rules to taxes, housing, immigration, and reproductive rights, these are some of the most relevant initiatives that voters will consider in the midterms.

California: Voter ID and taxes on the wealthy

California will vote on 14 ballot measures. Five were placed on the ballot by the legislature, while nine came from citizen initiatives.

The most contested is Proposition 39, which would require voters to present an official ID to vote in person and provide the last four digits of one of those IDs on mail-in ballots. The initiative would also provide free identification cards and require annual reports on the percentage of voters with verified citizenship in each county. The state currently requires identification and a Social Security number to register to vote, but not at the polling place. The measure is opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, and the California Democratic Party.

The other major battle is over taxes. Proposition 3 would make permanent the tax on high incomes approved in 2012 and extended in 2016, with 89% of the revenue going to public schools and 11% to community colleges. Proposition 40, better known as the billionaires’ tax proposal, would impose a one-time tax of up to 5% on people with assets exceeding $1 billion.

Housing is another major area. Proposition 1 would authorize a bond for affordable and veterans’ housing, costing state coffers between $500 million and $600 million annually for about 25 years, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Proposition 37 would create loans for middle-income buyers of newly built homes, while Proposition 45 would expedite environmental reviews for housing, water, transportation, and clean energy projects.

Florida: ‘Save Our Homes’

In Florida, voters will decide on three amendments, all proposed by the legislature, which require 60% of the vote to pass.

One of them, known as Save Our Homes, is the most controversial. It seeks to substantially increase tax exemptions for primary residences and halve the annual cap on increases in the assessed value of nonresidential properties. It is controversial because, while supporters say it would provide much-needed, significant economic relief in response to inflation, critics and public safety agencies warn that the measure would create a severe shortfall in local budgets, putting funding for essential public services such as police, fire departments, and education at risk.

Immigration enters the ballot box

The American Immigration Council, an organization that advocates for immigrants’ rights, is tracking nine state measures affecting these communities. Most concern who can vote.

Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia will put amendments to a referendum specifying that only citizens may vote; Alaska and Arizona are considering similar initiatives, while Arizona’s would also require identification and ban foreign contributions to political campaigns. There are recent precedents: in 2024, eight states approved measures of this kind. Supporters present them as a matter of common sense; opponents point out that federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting and that, according to available data, such cases are extremely rare.

Another major measure is Colorado’s Amendment 81, which would require local police to notify the Department of Homeland Security, within 72 hours, when a person who is unlawfully in the country or whose immigration status cannot be determined is charged with certain crimes. Opponents argue that it would apply to people who have been charged but not convicted and could even affect someone with a prior felony who is charged with a minor offense, such as a traffic violation.

Idaho, meanwhile, will vote on an amendment to establish English as the official language in its Constitution. If approved, and unless required by federal law, English would be the only language used in the state’s public proceedings and documents, affecting Spanish-speaking communities.

Other initiatives

In Missouri, Amendment 3 proposes an almost total ban on abortion, with exceptions for rape, incest, and medical emergencies, and would enshrine in the state Constitution a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. It will be the first time voters decide whether to repeal an abortion right they themselves approved at the ballot box. The state will also hold a referendum on the congressional map, although the state Supreme Court ordered the 2022 map to be used in these elections.

Virginia will vote on reproductive freedom, the removal of the ban on same-sex marriage, and the restoration of voting rights after completing a sentence. Nevada, meanwhile, will vote again on its abortion amendment, which would establish abortion as a fundamental right.

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“Let’s defeat the patriarchy.” “Cornell protects rapists and expels protesters.” Graffiti like this appeared Monday morning on the facade of Day Hall, one of Cornell University’s administrative buildings. This is the latest sign of outrage among many students over a case that has shaken not only this elite New York State university but the entire United States — a country that is increasingly viewing with concern how sexual violence against women on college campuses is a structural problem for which no solution has been found.

The graffiti accusing the university of protecting rapists refers to the lightness of the punishments given to the accused in the case brought by the former student known by the pseudonym Jane Doe, who said she was the victim of a gang rape in October 2024 by those now known as “the Cornell 7.”

Documents published by The New York Times show that two of the accused were expelled from the university. Another, who had already graduated, was banned from the campus. The university suspended two others for several semesters and handed down a period of probation. And two more (who entered the room after receiving a text message offering sex with a woman) were ordered not to contact Jane Doe, to take courses on sexual harassment and social media use, and to write “reflection papers” on the subject, the Times reports.

The events took place on October 19, 2024. That day, Jane Doe went to a party at the Chi Phi fraternity in Ithaca, the city where the university is located. She had been drinking and went to the fraternity house to meet Matthew Ingalls. In a room they began having sex and he asked if a third person, Jonathan Newell, should join them.

During the encounter, she says she was given ketamine and more alcohol until she lost the ability to consent. These two men — the ones who were expelled — invited other fraternity members via Snapchat messages to join in the assault reported by Jane Doe, which lasted for several hours.

A few weeks later, Jane Doe reported the incident to the university police. In testimony that lasted several hours, she said she was 100% certain she had been raped. But that statement was not passed on to the prosecutor’s office, which therefore did not consider it necessary to open an investigation and did not file charges against the alleged attackers.

Cornell University has been criticized for its handling of the case. After several days of silence during which its president, Michael Kotlikoff, was at the center of controversy, over the weekend he alluded, without saying so explicitly, to mistakes in the university’s handling of the matter.

“We must do better,” he said in an eight-minute video. “We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves.”

Examining the role of fraternities

He also said that the university will examine the role of fraternities, which some people are calling for a ban on because they are associated with practices that can sometimes be humiliating.

“At their best, these organizations can provide ​students with friendship, belonging, mentorship and a powerful sense of community. But being part of ​a group can never diminish individual responsibility,” Kotlikoff said.

Amid this national debate, Jane Doe’s lawyer said on Sunday that his client has received threats from people demanding she withdraw the civil lawsuit against the seven alleged attackers, the university, the fraternity they belonged to, and her own sorority for not having supported her.

“I’m not afraid of these ​people,” lawyer Thomas Giuffra told CNN. “But the threats, the abuse to protect what’s going on, the status quo — these ⁠guys are disgusting. They should stay in their mother’s basement and stay out of the world.”

After Jane Doe’s lawsuit became public, the state governor, Democrat Kathy Hochul, announced last Friday the removal of the prosecutor in charge of the case and her replacement with Letitia James, the New York attorney general with a reputation for being relentless. James is a long-time adversary of President Donald Trump, whom she sued in 2022 — before he won his second term and returned to the White House — for financial fraud.

A New York judge ultimately imposed a fine on the Republican magnate of about $454 million. Trump has appealed that ruling and says the entire process is politically motivated.

Asked last Friday about James’s appointment in the Cornell case, the president of the United States said he felt sorry for the seven accused, calling James “corrupt.” “I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake,” Trump said.

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