What You Need To Know On Election Day
Election issues include "personhood" amendments in North Dakota and Colorado, health care for the poor in Wisconsin, earned sick time in Massachusetts and food labeling in Oregon and Colorado.
The Washington Post:
Everything You Need To Know About Tuesday’s 146 State Ballot Measures
North Dakota and Colorado will weigh “personhood” amendments to their state constitutions. Each would enshrine and expand rights to the unborn, with opponents suggesting the measures would have unintended consequences, such as putting an end to in vitro fertilization, banning some forms of birth control and restricting access to abortion providers. Tennessee’s Amendment 1 would lay the foundation for future abortion restrictions by amending the state constitution to explicitly make clear that nothing in it “secures or protects right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion.” ... California is home to what are among the most expensive ballot fights in the nation. A pair of health care-related measures — propositions 45 and 46 — have generated at least $130 million in combined contributions, largely from insurers, doctors and lawyers. (Chokshi, 11/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Wisconsin Governor’s Race In Dead Heat As Voters Head To Polls
Mr. Walker campaigned on the sometimes controversial polices enacted during his four years in office, which included income and property tax cuts, overhauling health care for the poor and eliminating most collective-bargaining rights for government employees. He promised to push similar policies in a second term, including placing new limits on public assistance. ... Ms. Burke, 55, has staked out positions as a business-friendly Democrat whose professional career began while working for Wisconsin-based bicycle maker Trek Bicycle Corp., which her father started. She opposes school vouchers and restrictions on same-sex marriage, while criticizing Mr. Walker for refusing to accept federal money from the Affordable Care Act aimed at expanding health care to more low-income residents. (Kesling and Peters, 11/4)
WBUR:
Primer: If Earned Sick Time Passes in Mass., When Can I Call In?
Yes, it’s looking like the Massachusetts ballot measure on earned sick time will pass on Election Day, but no, that doesn’t mean you should plan to call in sick on Wednesday. First of all, even if it does become law, “Question 4″ won’t take effect until July 1, 2015. And second, it has a few nuances. (Goldberg, 11/3)
CQ Healthbeat:
GMO Food Labels On The Ballot In Oregon, Colorado
Voters in Oregon and Colorado will face ballot initiatives on Election Day that call for labeling food containing genetically modified ingredients, potentially joining New England states that have passed similar measures – and, win or lose, focusing more attention on state-by-state battles over the issue. Voters in Oregon will decide on Measure 92, and Colorado voters will vote on Proposition 105, both of which require labels on most retail food that contains genetically modified, or GMO, ingredients. Polling in both states over the past week was mixed, but seems to indicate that support for the measures is trailing. (11/3)
