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Americans for Tax Reform’s State Ballot Measure Guide Highlights Threats & Opportunities for Taxpayers on Election Day

Today, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) released the organization’s 2022 State Ballot Measure Guide, which analyzes 32 state-level ballot measures, initiatives, and amendments across 18 states that will impact Americans’ pocketbooks and freedoms.

In 2022, these measures include opportunities for voters to reduce taxes, limit regulation, and improve election integrity. On the flip side, there are serious threats to their pocketbooks, and basic rights.

“With inflation already wreaking havoc on their finances, taxpayers across the country must get educated on ballot measures or the situation will get even worse for their wallets and freedoms,” said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform. “Left-wing interests have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to get radical wish-list measures on the ballot that would hike taxes, undermine election integrity, attack free speech rights, and grow big government.”

Taxpayers will face significant tax increase proposals in Massachusetts, Arizona, California, and Colorado. Meanwhile massive bonding proposals would lock in new spending and debt in multiple states, including New Mexico and New York.

Aside from direct tax policy, taxpayers will want to study up on election system proposals that are so radical both Democrats and Republicans oppose them, as “Ranked Choice Voting” appears on the Nevada ballot.

Michigan’s Proposal 2 would add expansive language to the state constitution that undermines election integrity. It would ban voter I.D., make no-excuse absentee voting permanent, and allow private funding of election operations, among numerous provisions.

Arizona voters face an aggressive attempt to undermine private giving and free speech rights with Proposition 211.

Illinois’ Amendment 1 proposes a ‘right to collectively bargain,’ permanently bans right-to-work laws, allows government unions to negotiate over virtually anything, and prevents legislators from ever diminishing these sweeping new privileges. Illinois Policy Institute estimates this will cost the average property taxpayer $2,149 over the next four years.

“No measure on the ballot is more disastrous than Illinois Amendment 1, which gives government unions more power than democratically-elected state legislators,” said Norquist. “Illinois is already at the fourth circle of taxpayer hell, this would take it straight to the ninth, as unions torture taxpayers until they give up their last cent.”

There are opportunities for taxpayers to gain ground. In Colorado, voters can approve a measure to reduce the state income tax from 4.55% to 4.40%. Idaho voters can give their stamp of approval to already-enacted tax cuts passed by legislators and signed by Gov. Little earlier this year.

Efforts to improve election integrity have led to measures in Arizona, Ohio, Nebraska, and Alabama, to better secure elections and ensure every voter’s right is protected.

Kansas voters can approve Amendment 1 so the legislature is able to review regulations that go beyond the intent of the law – an important check on bureaucratic overreach that could make the state more competitive.

While Illinois considers making big unions the fourth branch of government, Tennessee voters can add the right-to-work without being forced to join a union to their constitution.

“As long as the left uses the initiative process as a way to trick voters into giving them more power and money through laws state legislators are often smart enough to avoid voting for, American taxpayers have to be vigilant each November,” Norquist added. “Our guide can help them sort the good from the bad, so they can seize any opportunities to reduce tax burdens and protect their rights.”