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Tuesday, Americans did not just choose their elected. They were also invited to vote, state by state, sometimes city by city, on matters of public interest. Some of these referendums are anecdotal, while others will change the lives of millions of people. They say, sometimes more than the results in Congress, the questions, advances and contradictions of American society. Overview of the first results.
Civil rights. Florida has voted to restore the right to vote to convicts. The Sunshine State had previously imposed a lifetime deprivation of civil rights to criminals found guilty. In 2016, 10.4% of adults in the state, or 1.6 million people, were concerned. Among them, only individuals sentenced for murder or bad crimes will continue to be victims of this double sentence. But 1.4 million people will recover their civil rights, upsetting the electoral demographics of Florida.
Read also Midterms: These three Democratic "stars" who failed close to the goal
Environment. In the state of Washington, voters rejected the proposal for the introduction of a carbon tax. The measure, which provided for a tax (very modest) of 15 dollars (13.10 euros) per ton of carbon dioxide emitted from 2020, then an increase of 2 dollars per year, would have been a first in the United States. This is the third time that the inhabitants of the state reject such an idea.
Social. In Missouri, the minimum wage will gradually go from $ 7.85 to $ 12 an hour in 2023 thanks to Tuesday's referendum. Arkansas voted in the same direction: the wages of 300,000 workers will rise from $ 8.5 to $ 11 in three years. The unions managed to bypbad the local bodies (House of Representatives, Senate and Governor) in the hands of the Republicans, who blocked any attempt to legislate on the subject.
IVG. Alabama and West Virginia voted in favor of adding an amendment in their respective Constitutions protecting "The rights of unborn children" (Alabama) and affirming that the State must not "To secure or protect the right to abortion" (West Virginia). To date, the right to abortion is guaranteed at the federal level by a Supreme Court ruling (Roe v. Wade, 1973). Anti-abortionists dream of going back on this historic decision, and are trying to pave the way for restrictive legislation at the state level.
Drug. Michigan becomes the tenth US state to legalize recreational marijuana (taxed at 10%), while North Dakota rejected a similar proposal, two years after approving cannabis use for medical use. Missouri is 22e State to take this step on Tuesday.
Health. Nebraska residents collectively chose to extend Medicaid coverage (the public insurance system) to about 90,000 people, despite opposition from state governor Pete Ricketts and local officials. After Maine last year, this is the second time that the defenders of Obamacare manage to impose this social protection for the poorest in a referendum.
Justice. Voters in Ohio voted against "Question 1" on their ballot: it would have reduced the penalties for those arrested in possession of cannabis. A crime under state law, which can send the "guilty" to prison. The referendum proposed to make it a simple offense. The measure was supported by the foundations of Mark Zuckerberg and Democratic billionaire George Soros.
Celian Macé
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