A ballot measure is a question or proposal you can vote on during an election. It might involve new laws, changes to an existing law, or changes to the state or local constitution. Here's a quick look at the measures you might see on your ballot this November and what they mean. For more details, including background info, arguments for and against, and campaign finance data, visit the Ballotpedia website.
| Title | Description |
| Criminal Conviction Fee for First Responder Death Financial Benefit Measure | Establish a $20 fee on every conviction for a criminal offense, which would go to pay a benefit of $250,000 to the family of a first responder who is killed in the line of duty |
| Emergency Declarations Amendment | Provide for the legislature to terminate a state of emergency or alter the emergency powers of the governor during the state of emergency, and provide for any emergency powers granted to the governor to automatically terminate 30 days after the state of emergency is proclaimed, unless the state legislature extends the emergency powers granted to the governor, and except in cases for a state of war emergency or an emergency arising from a flood or a fire |
| Life Imprisonment for Sex Trafficking of a Child Measure | Provide for life imprisonment for an individual who is convicted of sex trafficking of a child |
| Property Tax Refund for Non-Enforcement of Public Nuisance Laws Measure | Allow for property owners to apply for a property tax refund in certain circumstances, including in instances if the city or locality in which the property is located does not enforce laws regarding illegal camping, loitering, obstructing public thoroughfares, panhandling, public urination or defecation, public consumption of alcoholic beverages, and possession or use of illegal substances |
| Require Partisan Primaries Amendment | Require partisan primary elections for partisan offices |
| Signature Distribution Requirement for Initiatives Amendment | Create a signature distribution requirement for citizen-initiated ballot measures based on state legislative districts |
Information found on: Ballotpedia.com
False or misleading articles and headlines can run rampant online during elections. Learn how to overcome false information by visiting our research guide, Keeping It Real: How to Spot Fake News, for information about inaccurate, misleading, and satirical “news” sites, as well as links to reliable sources of news, plus tools for evaluating the information you find online.
Deepfakes is the nickname given to computer-created artificial videos or other digital material in which images are combined to create new footage that depicts events that never actually happened. The term originates from the online message board Reddit.
What You Need To Know About Fake Video, Audio And The 2020 Election - Philip Ewing, NPR, September 2, 2019
It took one of our librarians just minutes to create this video! Although it's not always easy to spot when media has been manipulated by AI, there are different things you can look for to help you spot a deepfake. Use these tips from PolitiFact to help you detect deepfake videos like a fact-checker:
Glossary of common terms related to voting and elections that you may come across during an election (as listed on the usa.gov website)