Our Ballot Measure Campaigns

Alaska

Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Time (2024)

In 2024, The Fairness Project partnered with the Better Jobs Alaska campaign to pass a ballot measure that increases the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027. The measure also requires employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Voters approved Measure 1 by a decisive 58%-32% margin.

Arizona

Reproductive Rights (2024)

In 2024, The Fairness Project worked with the Arizona for Abortion Access campaign to pass a ballot measure enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Voters passed the measure by a 61%-38% margin.

Predatory Debt Collection (2022)

In 2022, The Fairness Project supported Healthcare Rising Arizona to pass a ballot measure that curbed predatory debt collection and limited interest rates on medical debt.

Tucson Minimum Wage (2021)

In 2021, The Fairness Project worked with the Tucson Fight for $15 campaign to pass a ballot measure raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Proposition 206 was approved by voters on November 2, 2021, by a 63%-37% margin.

Minimum Wage and Paid Leave (2016)

In 2016, The Fairness Project worked with Arizonans for Fair Wages and Healthy Families on a ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour for 779,000 Arizonans, and bring 40 hours of sick leave per year to employees of large companies and 24 hours of sick leave per year to employees of small companies, affecting 934,000 Arizonans. After the wage hit $12 an hour in 2020, the measure calls for annual adjustments to keep pace with the cost of living. The Fair Wages & Healthy Families Act was voted into law on November 8, 2016, by a margin of 59%-41%.

Arkansas

Ballot Measure Protection (2022)

In 2022, The Fairness Project worked with stakeholders in Arkansas to execute a successful opposition campaign against Arkansas Issue 2, which would have required a 60% supermajority vote to adopt constitutional amendments and citizen-initiated state statutes.

Minimum Wage (2018)

In 2018, The Fairness Project supported the Arkansans for a Fair Wage campaign to pass a ballot initiative that increased the minimum wage in the state from $8.50 an hour in 2018 to $11 an hour in 2021. The measure, Issue 5, was approved by voters by a margin of 68%-32% and has raised wages for more than 300,000 people.

California

LA County Police Reform (2022)

In 2022, The Fairness Project worked with the Accountability LA campaign to pass a county-wide ballot measure that allowed the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to impeach the sheriff for cause.

Minimum Wage (2016)

In 2016, The Fairness Project worked with the Lift Up California coalition on a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for 6 million Californians. After the campaign collected the 365,880 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot, Gov. Jerry Brown and the California legislature enacted the $15 per hour wage. Both Brown and legislative leaders said publicly that the new law was in direct response to the minimum wage initiative qualifying for the ballot. The wage has gradually increased from $10 an hour in 2016 to $15 an hour in 2022. The law also indexes the wage to inflation, up to 3.5% annually, in future years.

Colorado

Paid Family and Medical Leave (2020)

In 2020, the Fairness Project worked with local partners to win the nation’s first ballot initiative to guarantee at least 12 weeks of paid family & medical leave, ensuring that more than 2.6 million Coloradans won’t be forced to choose between their income, bonding with a newborn, and the long term health and wellbeing of their families. Voters approved the measure on November 3, 2020 by a 58%-42% margin.

Predatory Payday Lending (2018)

In 2018, The Fairness Project worked with Coloradans to Stop Predatory Payday Loans to protect borrowers by curbing abusive payday lending in Colorado in 2018. The ballot measure, Proposition 111, capped interest rates and other fees associated with payday and other short term loans. It was approved by voters by a margin of 77% to 23%.

Minimum Wage (2016)

In 2016, The Fairness Project helped win a ballot measure, Amendment 70,  which raised the minimum wage from $8.31 per hour in 2016 to $12 per hour in 2020, delivering pay increases for nearly 500,000 Coloradan workers. Voters approved the measure by a margin of 55%-45%.

Idaho

Medicaid Expansion (2018)

In 2018, The Fairness Project worked with local partners in Idaho to pass a ballot initiative to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The successful measure delivered health care to over 90,000 Idahoans.

Maine

Medicaid Expansion (2017)

In 2017, The Fairness Project worked with Mainers for Health Care in 2017 to pass a ballot measure expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, making it the first state in the nation to approve Medicaid expansion through a ballot measure. Medicaid expansion has brought health care to more than 70,000 Mainers since its implementation in 2019.

Minimum Wage (2016)

In 2016, The Fairness Project worked with local partners on a ballot initiative to gradually increase the minimum wage from $7.50 in 2016 to $12 an hour by 2020 for 181,000 Mainers.

Massachusetts

Minimum Wage (2018)

The Fairness Project worked with Raise Up Massachusetts and provided early contributions to help raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The signature collection effort and ballot measure campaign led to the passage of legislation increasing the minimum wage from $11 an hour in 2018 to $15 an hour in 2023.

Michigan

Reproductive Rights (2022)

The Fairness Project worked with the Reproductive Freedom for All campaign to pass a ballot measure enshrining reproductive rights in Michigan’s constitution. Proposition 3 was approved by voters on November 8, 2022 with 56.66% of the vote.

Paid Sick Leave (2018)

The Fairness Project worked with Michigan Time to Care on a ballot initiative that provided earned paid sick time to 2 million Michigan workers — ensuring all Michigan workers can take a day off to recover from illness or care for a sick child. The initiative also protected survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Once the ballot measure qualified with a sufficient number of signatures, the Michigan state legislature adopted the policy in September of 2018.

Missouri

Reproductive Rights (2024)

In 2024, The Fairness Project worked with the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom campaign to pass a ballot measure guaranteeing a fundamental right to reproductive freedom in Missouri, including abortion. Voters passed the measure by a 51%-48% margin.

Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Time (2024)

In 2024, The Fairness Project worked with the Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages campaign to pass a ballot measure raising the minimum wage and guaranteeing access to paid sick time for working Missourians. Voters passed the measure by a 57%-42% margin.

Medicaid Expansion (2020)

In 2020, the Fairness Project worked with a broad coalition of grassroots groups, patient advocates, and health care providers to pass Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment expanding Medicaid to over 275,000 low-income Missourians. Voters approved the measure on August 4, 2020, by a margin of 53%-47%.

Minimum Wage (2018)

In 2018, the Fairness Project worked with local partners to pass a ballot measure increasing the minimum wage for 677,000 Missourians from $7.85 an hour in 2018 to $12 an hour in 2023.

Montana

Reproductive Rights (2024)

In 2024, The Fairness Project worked with the Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights campaign to pass a ballot measure enshrining reproductive rights, including abortion, in the state constitution. Voters passed the measure by a 58%-42% margin.

Nebraska

Paid Sick Leave (2024)

Fairness Project worked with the Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans campaign to pass a ballot measure guaranteeing access to paid leave for working Nebraskans. Voters approved the measure by a 75%-25% margin.

Minimum Wage (2022)

The Fairness Project worked with Raise the Wage Nebraska to pass a ballot measure that will increase the minimum wage statewide from $9 to $15 per hour by 2026.

Predatory Payday Lending (2020)

In 2020, the Fairness Project and local partners soundly won a ballot initiative to curb predatory payday lending, capping interest rates and stopping the debt trap for seniors, veterans, communities of color, low-income residents, and others targeted by the abusive practice.

Medicaid Expansion (2018)

In 2018, the Fairness Project led the Insure the Good Life campaign along with grassroots organizations and patient advocates to expand Medicaid to more than 90,000 Nebraskans. Voters approved the measure on November 6, 2018 by a margin of 54%-46%.

North Dakota

Ballot Measure Protection (2024)

In 2024, The Fairness Project worked with North Dakota Citizens Protecting The Constitution to successfully defend against an attack on the ballot measure process in North Dakota. Measure 2 was successfully defeated by a 56%-44% margin.

Ohio

Reproductive Rights (2023)

In 2023, The Fairness Project worked with the Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom campaign to pass a ballot measure that enshrined abortion access and reproductive care in Ohio’s constitution. The measure was passed by voters 56%-44%.

Ballot Measure Protection (2023)

In 2023, The Fairness Project worked with stakeholders in Ohio to execute an opposition campaign against Issue 1, which would have implemented a 60% supermajority threshold for future ballot measures before voters in an August 8, 2023 special election. The measure was defeated by voters 57% to 43%.

Cleveland Police Reform (2021)

In 2021, The Fairness Project partnered with Citizens for a Safer Cleveland to pass Issue 24, a charter amendment that ensured real accountability for police misconduct by providing Clevelanders with permanent and powerful civilian oversight on policing and community safety policies. Voters approved the measure on November 2, 2021, by a margin of 59%- 41%.

Oklahoma

Medicaid Expansion (2020)

In 2020, The Fairness Projected worked with local partners to expand Medicaid in Oklahoma. On June 30, 2020, Oklahomans voted yes on State Question 802, putting full Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma’s state constitution and out of reach from political meddling. As a result, 200,000 Oklahomans have access to coverage, and more than $1 billion of local tax dollars stay in Oklahoma every year, creating jobs and protecting rural hospitals.

South Dakota

Medicaid Expansion (2022)

The Fairness Project worked with a broad coalition of local partners, including doctors, teachers, and farmers, to win Medicaid expansion at the ballot box in 2022 through the South Dakotans Decide Healthcare campaign. The ballot measure, which goes into effect July 1, 2023, will deliver health care for an estimated 40,000 people and bring hundreds of millions of dollars back into South Dakota to create jobs and protect rural hospitals. 

No on Amendment C (2022)

The Fairness Project funded and supported the campaign to defeat proposed Amendment C, which aimed to end majority rule by raising the win threshold for certain citizen-initiated ballot referendums to 60%. The South Dakotans for Fair Elections campaign was the Fairness Project’s first tangible result as a part of its Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign efforts. Amendment C was voted down by 67.43% of voters in South Dakota on June 7, 2022.

Texas

Austin Police Reform (2021)

In Austin, the Fairness Project worked with the No Way on A coalition to defeat Proposition A, which would have forced the city of Austin to cut essential services to spend hundreds of millions more solely on the police department, with zero accountability.

San Antonio Paid Sick Leave (2018)

The Fairness Project worked with local partners to qualify a paid sick leave ballot initiative in San Antonio. The initiative led to the passage of a city ordinance to provide earned paid sick time to more than 350,000 workers.

Utah

Medicaid Expansion (2018)

The Fairness Project led the Utah Decides Healthcare campaign to expand Medicaid in Utah, successfully passing Proposition 3 that won health care for more than 150,000 Utahns. Voters approved the measure on November 6, 2018 by a margin of 53%-47%.

Vermont

Reproductive Rights (2022)

The Fairness Project worked with the Vermont Reproductive Liberty campaign to pass a ballot measure that will protect reproductive rights in Vermont’s constitution.

Washington

Minimum Wage and Paid Leave (2016)

The Fairness Project worked with Raise Up Washington on a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage for workers age 18 and over from $9.47 an hour in 2016 to $13.50 an hour in 2020 for 1 million Washingtonians. The initiative also provides paid sick leave for 1 million workers. After 2020, the wage is adjusted to keep pace with the cost of living. Initiative 1433 was voted into law Nov. 8, 2016 by a margin of 58%-42%.