By now you’ve probably heard and read more than enough about the winners and losers in this week’s midterm elections. But have you heard about the environmental initiatives that were on the ballot and how they fared? Are you wondering what you can do going forward to connect government and business and real people to make the world cleaner and safer for life to thrive?
Well, here’s some inspiration! Below is a summary of state-wide ballot initiatives, propositions, and proposed constitutional amendments related to the environment and how they fared:
Arkansas: Issue 4 — Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal, and Pollution Abatement Facilities Financing Act of 2025. Proposed to authorize up to $500 million dollars “for the financing and refinancing of the development of water, waste disposal, water pollution control, abatement and prevention, drainage, irrigation, flood control, and wetlands and aquatic resources projects to serve the citizens of the State of Arkansas.” Votes still being counted, but appears to be passing with 56.5% voting yes (99% tallied). Result is pro-environment based on protection and management of water resources.
California: Proposition 45 — Changes to Environmental Review Process for Certain Projects (CEQA). Proposed to amend the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Permit Streamlining Act to fast-track environmental review for projects defined as “essential”. Votes still being counted, but appears to be failing 54.5% voting no (61% tallied). Result is pro-environment for continuing to require thorough environmental reviews.
Colorado: Amendment 82 — Right to Purchase and Sell Natural Gas for Cooking or Heating in Homes and Businesses. Proposed to amend the Colorado Constitution to establish a right for consumers to purchase natural gas for cooking or heating, and a right for distributors and utilities to sell natural gas for use in homes and businesses. Intended to block state and local restrictions on gas use (e.g., bans on gas hookups in new construction). Failed, having only 46.1% yes votes, well short of the required 55%. Result is pro-environment for allowing communities to decide if they want to support the energy transition away from fossil fuels.
Colorado: Amendment 83 — Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish. Proposed to create a constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest fish and wildlife, including by traditional methods, and declared hunting and fishing the preferred means of managing fish and wildlife populations. Proponents said it would protect the right to hunt from wildlife advocacy efforts, while opponents were concerned that the language could undo bans against such methods as steel leghold traps and luring bears. Failed, having only 44.8% yes votes, well short of the required 55%. Impact of result is impossible to predict due to potentially inadequate or confusing language.
Colorado: Proposition 137 — Direct Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation. Proposed to allow the state to keep an amount equal to existing state sales tax on sporting goods and outdoor equipment — about $175 million a year — and spend it on conservation, wildfire risk mitigation, watershed restoration, and outdoor recreation. Currently too close to call. Passage would be pro-environment due to funding of conservation and restoration.
Louisiana: Amendment 7 — Use of Public Funds for Drinking Water Utility Service Lines. Proposed to amend the state constitution to allow for the use of public funds by a political subdivision for the purpose of identifying, inventorying, removing or replacing drinking water utility service lines made of or affected by materials specified by the EPA Lead and Copper Rule located on property owned by utility customers. Clears the way for New Orleans to use a $152 million EPA loan for lead-line replacement on private property; applies statewide. Passed with 65% yes votes. Impact of result is pro-environment due to supporting removing lead from water lines.
Massachusetts: Question 6 — Natural Resource Conservation Fund (Nature for All Fund). Proposed to create a fund that, subject to legislative appropriation, would receive 50% of state sales and use tax on sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses starting July 1, 2027, and 100% after July 1, 2028. Money could be spent by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for natural resource conservation. Votes still being counted, but appears to be passing with 60.8% voting yes (96% tallied). Passage would be pro-environment due to funding of natural resource conservation.
Rhode Island: Question 5 — Green Economy Bonds. Proposed to authorize $55 million in general obligation bonds: Resilient Rhody Infrastructure Fund $25M (flooding, coastal erosion, stormwater); state beaches, parks & campgrounds $12M; Narragansett Bay watershed restoration $7M; brownfields cleanup $3M; farmland preservation $3M; open space acquisition $3M; local recreation grants $1M; boat ramps/marine infrastructure $1M. Passed. Pro-environment due to funding of environmental protection and restoration.
There were no state-wide initiatives related to data centers, but there were 41 local measures, including 21 in Ohio, 7 in Illinois, 4 in Maine, 3 in Kansas and one each in California, Floda, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Forty of those 41 measures passed bans, moratoriums, and/or limits on construction of data centers or rejected enabling of data centers. Only one result landed in data centers’ favor: Harwood, ND, defeated a measure requiring added review before approving industrial development, including data centers.
Creating a beautiful future where life can flourish requires attention and work by all of us. Part of that work is political, which can be defined as the systems and activities for guiding and settling affairs in an organized society. In a representative democracy like the US, it is up to the citizens to elect representatives who will lead in the directions we desire and to use whatever other tools are at our disposal to build the future we want. I was thrilled to learn that about 124 million people voted in the 2026 midterm elections – up more than 10% from the last midterms. And it’s great to see how we can lead our leaders through ballot initiatives.
Between now and the next elections, let’s do everything we can to learn about and support leaders who care about the environment, hold them accountable for their promises, and work together to introduce strong ballot measures to create the world we dream of. Remember, we’re all in this together.
Sources:
Ballotpedia — Data center-related ballot measures, 2026: ballotpedia.org/Data_center-related_ballot_measures,_2026
Ballotpedia News — Voters in ten states will vote on data center-related ballot measures November 3
Newsweek — Map Shows How Data Center Measures Fared Across 10 States
State Capital Lobbyist — Data Centers on the Ballot: Where Things Stand
Scientific American — 2026 election results show widespread opposition to AI data centers