New Reports from Ballotpedia Show Higher Costs, Lower Fundraising and Complex Wording Define 2022 Statewide Ballot Measures

Contributions to ballot measures campaigns totaled more than $825 million through Oct. 23. That's down from 2020, when contributions for and against 129 ballot issues topped $1.24 billion.

Campaigns for seven issues on the California ballot raised more than $618 million. Campaigns supporting and opposing Proposition 27, which would legalize online and mobile sports betting, account for more than $383 million of the state's total. That amount surpasses last cycle's Proposition 22, which totaled $224 million in contributions, making Proposition 27 the most expensive measure in the state's history.

You can read the entire report here: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2022

Key Initiative Signature Cost Takeaways

• $118.29 million was spent on signature drives for 29 ballot initiatives in 2022¹.
• $4.08 million was the average petition drive cost in 2022. In 2020, the average cost was $2.06 million.
• $12.70 was the average cost per required signature (CPRS) for 2022. In 2020, the average CPRS was $8.09. In 2018, the average CPRS was $6.19.
• California Proposition 27 had the most expensive signature drive at $18.8 million.
• Arizona Proposition 209 had the highest CPRS at $25.44.

Ballotpedia's Ballot Measures Managing Editor Ryan Byrne said, "We were expecting signature costs to be higher this year. Campaigns began highlighting issues, including labor shortages and COVID, with signature-gathering efforts last winter. However, the size of this increase wasn't known until we calculated signature costs for each initiative."

Ballot Measures Staff Writer Jackie Mitchell, who co-wrote the report, said, "the total cost spent on signature drives across the country has increased each year despite the number of initiatives continuing to fall."

"In 2016, 76 citizen initiatives appeared on the ballot. Altogether, $78 million was spent collecting signatures for those measures," Mitchell said. "This year, there are 30 measures on the ballot, and yet signature drives cost these campaigns $118 million combined."

"Compared to 2020," Mitchell said, "the average cost of a successful signature drive doubled. Since 2016, the average cost has increased 297%."

You can read the entire report here: Ballot measure signature costs, 2022

Byrne said one thing hasn't changed in the five years Ballotpedia has gathered readability data: "Ballot measure questions are generally difficult to read and understand."

Ballotpedia uses the same formulas that the U.S. Department of Defense has used to score military manuals. In 2022, the average ballot measure reading score was 19, or what's roughly equivalent to a graduate school reading level.

According to U.S. Census data, 14.4% of Americans 25 and older have completed a masters or other graduate degree.

Byrne said, "This makes our work even more important. We unpack complicated language without oversimplifying, providing context that helps readers understand the bigger picture and make informed decisions."

According to the report:

• The measure with the highest grade level score is Kentucky Amendment 1 with a title grade level of 64.
• Citizen initiatives have an average title grade of 17 years of education, and referred measures received an average title grade of 20 years.
• Ballot proponents and state boards wrote titles scoring an average of 21 and 20, respectively.

You can read the entire report here: Ballot measure readability scores, 2022

Ballotpedia's election teams will be publishing their reporting and analysis – and election night results on Ballotpedia.org, in Ballotpedia's flagship newsletter, "The Daily Brew," and at its upcoming Election Analysis Hub.

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¹In 2022, 30 initiatives are on the ballot. Ballotpedia could not calculate signature gathering costs for one due to how expenditures are reported on the state's campaign finance website. As this data is unavailable, South Dakota Amendment D is excluded from the report's analyses.

SOURCE BALLOTPEDIA