Religion on the ballot

Religion on the ballot: This topic refers to ballot measures regarding religion and religious rights. Specifically, measures have included questions about the employment of chaplains at hospitals and health care facilities; the use of public dollars for religious funding.

Examples:

* Washington Chaplains, Amendment 88 (1993)
* Washington State Employed Chaplains, SJR 14 (1958)

## Ballot measures lists[edit]

# By state[edit]

Note: The list below automatically compiles all potential and certified ballot measures being tracked by Ballotpedia. Sometimes a measure that has been abandoned by petitioners or in the legislature will still be listed until a legal deadline passes. As more deadlines pass in any given year, the list will more accurately represent which measures will actually go before voters in the current year.

## Alabama

1. Alabama Freedom of Religion, Amendment 8 (1998)
2. Alabama Amendment 1, Ten Commandments Amendment (2018)

## Arkansas

1. Arkansas Issue 3, Government Burden of Free Exercise of Religion Amendment (2022)

## California

1. California Proposition 6, Property Tax Exemption for Church Parking Lots Amendment (1956)
2. California Proposition 21, Religious and Orphan Buildings Tax Exemption Amendment (1938)
3. California Proposition 8, Church Building Tax Exemption Amendment (1952)
4. California Proposition 4, Property Tax Exemption Amendment (1944)
5. California Proposition 9, Construction of Church Buildings Tax Exemption Amendment (1954)
6. California Proposition 11, Equal Employment Opportunity Initiative (1946)
7. California Proposition 17, Religion in Schools Initiative (1926)

## Florida

1. Florida Amendment 8, Reception of Governmental Support and Funding Based on Religion Amendment (2012)
2. Florida School Prayer, Straw Poll 3 (March 1972)
3. Florida Prayer in Schools Initiative (2026)

## Georgia

1. Georgia Tax Exemptions for Religious Organizations, Amendment 6 (1970)
2. Georgia Tax Exemptions for Religious Groups, Referendum A (1996)
3. Georgia Tax Exemptions for Religious Organizations, Referendum C (1998)

## Kansas

1. Kansas Property Titles, Amendment 5 (1974)

## Louisiana

1. Louisiana Amendment 2, Constitutional Right to Worship in a Church or Place of Worship Amendment (October 2023)

## Maryland

1. Maryland Freedom of Religion, Question 9 (1970)
2. Maryland Religious Grants, Amendment 5 (1942)

## Massachusetts

1. Massachusetts Prayer in Schools, Question 9 (1972)
2. Massachusetts Absentee Voting for Religious Reasons, Question 3 (1976)

## Minnesota

1. Minnesota Church Property Tax Exemption, Amendment 1 (1908)

## Missouri

1. Missouri Public Prayer Amendment, Amendment 2 (August 2012)
2. Missouri Property Rights of Religious Corporations Amendment, Issue 1 (February 1924)
3. Missouri Tax Exemption for Religious Properties and Incomes, Issue 8 (1924)

## North Dakota

1. North Dakota Religious Freedom Amendment, Measure 3 (June 2012)
2. North Dakota Prohibiting School Teachers Religious Dress, Initiative 1 (1948)

## Oregon

1. Oregon Measure 4, Public Money for Religious Institutions Amendment (1972)

## Tennessee

1. Tennessee Constitutional Amendment 4, Remove Religious Minister Disqualification Amendment (2022)

## Texas

1. Texas Proposition 3, Tax Exemptions for Religious Organizations Amendment (September 2003)

## Vermont

1. Vermont Joint School Maintenance by Towns Amendment, Article 41 (1954)

## Virginia

1. Virginia Ballot Question 2, Incorporation of Churches (2006)
2. Virginia Amendment 5, Churches Allowed to Incorporate (1996)

## Washington

1. Washington HJR 4200, Public Employment of Chaplains in Health Facilities Amendment (1993)
2. Washington SJR 14, State Employed Chaplains Amendment (1958)
3. Washington Chaplains for State Penal and Reformatory Institutions, Amendment to Article I Sec. 11 (1904)

## West Virginia

1. West Virginia Prayer in Schools Amendment, Amendment 3 (1984)

## Wisconsin

1. Wisconsin School Release for Religious Instruction Amendment, Question 4 (April 1972)
2. Wisconsin Prohibit the Closing of Places of Worship During State of Emergency Amendment (2026)

# By year[edit]

Note: The list below automatically compiles all potential and certified ballot measures being tracked by Ballotpedia. Sometimes a measure that has been abandoned by petitioners or in the legislature will still be listed until a legal deadline passes. As more deadlines pass in any given year, the list will more accurately represent which measures will actually go before voters in the current year.

## 2026

1. Wisconsin Prohibit the Closing of Places of Worship During State of Emergency Amendment (2026)
2. Florida Prayer in Schools Initiative (2026)

## 2023

1. Louisiana Amendment 2, Constitutional Right to Worship in a Church or Place of Worship Amendment (October 2023)

## 2022

1. Tennessee Constitutional Amendment 4, Remove Religious Minister Disqualification Amendment (2022)
2. Arkansas Issue 3, Government Burden of Free Exercise of Religion Amendment (2022)

## 2018

1. Alabama Amendment 1, Ten Commandments Amendment (2018)

## 2012

1. North Dakota Religious Freedom Amendment, Measure 3 (June 2012)
2. Florida Amendment 8, Reception of Governmental Support and Funding Based on Religion Amendment (2012)
3. Missouri Public Prayer Amendment, Amendment 2 (August 2012)

## 2006

1. Virginia Ballot Question 2, Incorporation of Churches (2006)

## 2003

1. Texas Proposition 3, Tax Exemptions for Religious Organizations Amendment (September 2003)

## 1998

1. Georgia Tax Exemptions for Religious Organizations, Referendum C (1998)
2. Alabama Freedom of Religion, Amendment 8 (1998)

## 1996

1. Virginia Amendment 5, Churches Allowed to Incorporate (1996)
2. Georgia Tax Exemptions for Religious Groups, Referendum A (1996)

## 1993

1. Washington HJR 4200, Public Employment of Chaplains in Health Facilities Amendment (1993)

## 1984

1. West Virginia Prayer in Schools Amendment, Amendment 3 (1984)

## 1976

1. Massachusetts Absentee Voting for Religious Reasons, Question 3 (1976)

## 1974

1. Kansas Property Titles, Amendment 5 (1974)

## 1972

1. Wisconsin School Release for Religious Instruction Amendment, Question 4 (April 1972)
2. Florida School Prayer, Straw Poll 3 (March 1972)
3. Oregon Measure 4, Public Money for Religious Institutions Amendment (1972)
4. Massachusetts Prayer in Schools, Question 9 (1972)

## 1970

1. Maryland Freedom of Religion, Question 9 (1970)
2. Georgia Tax Exemptions for Religious Organizations, Amendment 6 (1970)

## 1958

1. Washington SJR 14, State Employed Chaplains Amendment (1958)

## 1956

1. California Proposition 6, Property Tax Exemption for Church Parking Lots Amendment (1956)

## 1954

1. Vermont Joint School Maintenance by Towns Amendment, Article 41 (1954)
2. California Proposition 9, Construction of Church Buildings Tax Exemption Amendment (1954)

## 1952

1. California Proposition 8, Church Building Tax Exemption Amendment (1952)

## 1948

1. North Dakota Prohibiting School Teachers Religious Dress, Initiative 1 (1948)

## 1946

1. California Proposition 11, Equal Employment Opportunity Initiative (1946)

## 1944

1. California Proposition 4, Property Tax Exemption Amendment (1944)

## 1942

1. Maryland Religious Grants, Amendment 5 (1942)

## 1938

1. California Proposition 21, Religious and Orphan Buildings Tax Exemption Amendment (1938)

## 1926

1. California Proposition 17, Religion in Schools Initiative (1926)

## 1924

1. Missouri Property Rights of Religious Corporations Amendment, Issue 1 (February 1924)
2. Missouri Tax Exemption for Religious Properties and Incomes, Issue 8 (1924)

## 1908

1. Minnesota Church Property Tax Exemption, Amendment 1 (1908)

## 1904

1. Washington Chaplains for State Penal and Reformatory Institutions, Amendment to Article I Sec. 11 (1904)

# Did not make ballot[edit]

## Did not make ballot

1. Washington Supreme Ruler of the Universe Initiative I-1047 (2009)
2. California Christmas Songs Sung in Schools Act (2010)
3. Florida Religious Organization Public Funding Ban Repeal (2010)
4. Missouri Religious Liberty Amendment (2010)
5. Idaho Bible Study Initiative (2010)
6. California Free Exercise of Religion Amendment (2010)
7. Colorado Religious Freedom Amendment (2010)
8. California Speech Protections for Biblically-Based Speech (2012)
9. Texas "Sharia Law Amendment" (2011)
10. Missouri "Sharia Law Amendment" (2012)
11. Colorado Religious Freedom Amendment (2012)
12. Colorado "Religious Freedom" Amendment (2012)
13. California Elimination of Religion-Based Property Tax Exemptions (2014)
14. West Virginia "Religious Freedom" Amendment (2014)
15. California Freedom of Biblically-Based Speech Initiative (2014)
16. Missouri Religious Funding Amendment (2014)
17. Oregon Protect Religious Freedom Initiative (2014)
18. Ohio Prayer in School Amendment (2014)
19. Texas Judicial Restraint in Religious Doctrine Interpretation Amendment (2015)
20. Texas Individual's Free Exercise of Religion Amendment (2015)
21. Texas Government Interference with Religious Speech Amendment (2015)
22. Texas “Protect Religious Freedom” Amendment (2015)
23. Alabama Display of Ten Commandments Amendment (2016)
24. Mississippi "Confederate Heritage" Amendment, Initiative 46 (2016)
25. Ohio Prayer in Public Schools Initiative (2017)
26. Maine Public Funding of Religious Private Schools Initiative (2017)
27. Utah "Religious Liberty" Amendment (2016)
28. California Religious Institutions and Crime Initiative (2016)
29. Florida Prayer in Schools Initiative (2022)
30. Florida Acknowledgement of God Pledge in Schools Initiative (2022)
31. Florida Legislative Approval for Executive Orders Restricting Religious Gatherings Initiative (2024)
32. West Virginia Permit Incorporation of Religious Denominations Amendment (2024)

|  |  | Voting on Religion

Ballot Measures
By state
By year
Not on ballot
Local Measures

Issues

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Measures by topic
Measures by year
Measures by state

## Contents

* 1 Ballot measures lists
* 2 By state
* 2.1 Alabama
* 2.2 Arkansas
* 2.3 California
* 2.4 Florida
* 2.5 Georgia
* 2.6 Kansas
* 2.7 Louisiana
* 2.8 Maryland
* 2.9 Massachusetts
* 2.10 Minnesota
* 2.11 Missouri
* 2.12 North Dakota
* 2.13 Oregon
* 2.14 Tennessee
* 2.15 Texas
* 2.16 Vermont
* 2.17 Virginia
* 2.18 Washington
* 2.19 West Virginia
* 2.20 Wisconsin
* 3 By year
* 3.1 2026
* 3.2 2023
* 3.3 2022
* 3.4 2018
* 3.5 2012
* 3.6 2006
* 3.7 2003
* 3.8 1998
* 3.9 1996
* 3.10 1993
* 3.11 1984
* 3.12 1976
* 3.13 1974
* 3.14 1972
* 3.15 1970
* 3.16 1958
* 3.17 1956
* 3.18 1954
* 3.19 1952
* 3.20 1948
* 3.21 1946
* 3.22 1944
* 3.23 1942
* 3.24 1938
* 3.25 1926
* 3.26 1924
* 3.27 1908
* 3.28 1904
* 4 Did not make ballot
* 4.1 Did not make ballot

v • e

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