The 2022 Midterm Elections: A Big Win for Progressive Policies
The 2022 midterm elections were a nail-biter, with most polls and pundits predicting a resounding red wave before the election results were tabulated. Instead, the red wave proved to be a mere ripple, with the Democrats retaining the majority in the U.S. Senate and successfully defending and winning Democratic seats in many state legislatures and state houses across the country.
Several state legislatures (including Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania) and state capitals (Maryland and Massachusetts) turned blue. At the same time, progressive candidates and campaigns prevailed over election deniers and MAGA extremists.
Up and down the ballot, in both red and blue, voters overwhelmingly repudiated the MAGA extremist agenda, supporting a progressive economic agenda that prioritized well-paying jobs, investments in communities, and raising taxes on the wealthy to pay their fair share. Women, in particular, who were outraged by the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, showed their displeasure at the polls. Even in red states, young voters and women came out in near-record numbers to protect their reproductive rights. As a result, in every state where an abortion-related measure was on the ballot, voters chose either to enshrine protections or reject new limits.
The progressive economic agenda galvanized voters, underscoring the importance of investments in a stronger, more equitable, and resilient economy that works for all.
The ProsperUS coalition assembled this non-exhaustive list of the 2022 progressive ballot wins across the country that shows, yet again, people across the country want and need investments in people and communities through fair elections, abortion rights, worker rights, health care, housing, climate action and more:
Ballot Wins Show that Voters Want Strong Economic Rights Through Wage Increases, Collective Bargaining, and Progressive Tax Policies
Voters want good paying jobs, worker rights, and fairer taxation, ensuring that wealthy corporations pay their fair share.
With Republican policymakers continuing to block a federal minimum wage increase, voters at the state level continue to support higher wages through state minimum wage hikes.
In Nebraska, a state minimum wage hike to $15 an hour (up from the current $9) by 2026 was approved by voters, benefitting 150,000 low-income Nebraskans. The initiative also annually adjusts the minimum wage by the cost of living after 2026.
In Nevada, voters approved a state constitutional amendment to increase the minimum wage to at least $12 an hour by 2024, removing a provision that allows companies offering health benefits to pay their workers less than the state minimum.
In Washington, D.C., voters increased the tipped minimum wage from $5.35 per hour in 2022 to match the minimum wage of non-tipped employees by 2027.
Examples of worker power wins are visible around the country and through increasing public support for unions. Building on this momentum, Illinois created a state constitutional right to collective bargaining, allowing employees the right to organize and bargain collectively over wages, hours, working conditions, and safety at work.
Voters in Massachusetts approved a tax hike on the wealthy, approving a surtax of 4 percent on individual annual income above $1 million, with revenue going mostly towards public education and transportation.
And in West Virginia, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would allow legislators the power to change or eliminate certain tangible personal property taxes, which include taxes on business inventory, machinery, and personal vehicles. If passed, policymakers could offer a tax cut to businesses, resulting in a loss of $500 million to state revenues, which would likely be offset by cuts in other places, including vital public services.
Ballot Wins Underscore the Need for Community-based Investments
American voters want an economy that works for them. The big winners at ballot boxes across the country were community-based investments in education, housing, climate resiliency, health care, early care and early education, and infrastructure.
Health Care: The South Dakota electorate voted to expand Medicaid to adults with incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. This expanded coverage would provide health coverage to 42,000 low-income residents in the state. South Dakota is one of seven states (after Idaho, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Utah) to adopt the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion through a ballot initiative in the last five years.
Housing: In Austin, Texas, voters authorized the city to issue $350 million in bonds to fund housing projects for households at certain income levels, levying a tax to repay the bonds. Similarly, Kansas City, Missouri voters approved the issuance of a $50 million general obligation bond for the renovation and construction of affordable housing for very low to moderate-income households, while Palm Beach County, Florida, dedicated $200 million to build more moderately-priced homes. In Orange County, Florida, voters supported rent stabilization through limited rent increases for certain residential rental units for one year while also creating a process for landlords to request an exception to the limitation. And in Colorado, voters supported Proposition 123, which creates a State Affordable Housing Fund from existing income tax revenues, allocating funds to affordable housing projects.
Child Care and Early Education: New Mexico voters passed Constitutional Amendment 1, creating a dedicated funding stream for universal child care. Funds devoted to early childhood programs come from the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund. This win means that New Mexico becomes the first state in the U.S. to guarantee early child care and education funding.
Public and Higher Education: In California, voters approved Proposition 28, which requires an annual funding source for K-12 public schools for arts and music education. The proposition also distributes additional funding based on a local education agency's share of economically disadvantaged students. It requires schools with 500 or more students to use 80 percent of their funding to employ teachers and 20 percent for teacher training and materials. In Colorado, voters approved the funding of a universal school meals program for every child through the Healthy School Meals for All Program. In New Mexico, voters approved a public education bond for improvements to higher education, special public schools, and tribal schools. And in Rhode Island, voters approved a $250 million bond for constructing and renovating state public school buildings.
Infrastructure: In Alabama, voters authorized the state or local government to grant federal funds to public or private entities to expand or provide for broadband internet infrastructure. New Mexico took this one step further with the approval of Constitutional Amendment 2, which authorizes the state legislature to provide funds for residential service infrastructure, which includes internet, electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater, or other services provided by law. New Mexico voters also approved the sale and issuance of $19 million bonds for public library improvements.
Climate: In New York, voters supported issuing $4.20 billion in general obligation bonds for projects related to the environment, natural resources, and water infrastructure, as well as for projects classified as climate change mitigation. Rhode Island voters also supported issuing $50 million in bonds for environmental and recreational purposes.
Ballot Wins Protect Reproductive Rights for Women and Families
Women across the country voted in droves to protect their reproductive and abortion rights.
In California, Vermont, and Michigan, voters approved amending the state constitution, enshrining access to abortion and contraception across each state.
In Kentucky, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have denied the protections for abortion rights within the state constitution. While this is positive news for Kentucky voters, the results of the initiative do not automatically reverse the state's current ban on abortion. Still, it does bolster litigators’ efforts to have that ban overturned by the courts.
In Montana, voters rejected a cruel ballot initiative—parading as a “pro-life” measure—that would force health care providers, under the threat of up to 20 years in prison, to provide medically unnecessary and even painful treatment to newborns with fatal conditions, robbing parents of their ability to spend their final moments with their baby in peace.
Ballot Wins Prioritize a Strong Democracy
Voters across the country want a strong democracy, political transparency, and fair elections that ensure each voice is counted. As recent elections have seen an influx of untraceable funds from individuals and special interest groups designed to spread lies, misinformation and otherwise undermine democracy, voters are showing up to the polls and demanding fair electoral practices and a fundamental right to vote.
In Arizona, voters approved Proposition 211 or the Voters’ Right to Know. This measure sets limits on campaign finance by requiring entities that make independent campaign expenditures of at least $50,000 in statewide campaigns or $25,000 in other campaigns to disclose the original source of money for any contribution over $5,000. Results for another ballot initiative in Arizona, Proposition 309—that would add new requirements (such as multiple forms of id) for in-person and early voting--are still being counted.
In Michigan, voters approved Proposal 2, which amends the state Constitution to make voting easier and more accessible by creating early voting and the right to sign an affidavit as an alternative to showing a photo ID when voting. The amendment also requires state-funded return postage and drop boxes for absentee ballots.
In Connecticut, voters approved an initiative allowing for in-person early voting.
And in Oakland, California, voters opted to require donor disclosure on political ads, restricting former elected officials’ lobbying capacity, capping campaign contributions, and allocating democracy vouchers to local voters, who can publicly finance candidates at their discretion. Oakland’s voucher-based public financing program for elections is only the second such program in the nation, modeled after Seattle.
While progressives did not win every hard-fought campaign or seat, gains in last week’s elections give them (and the Democratic caucus) the power to set and follow through on a progressive economic agenda that creates better opportunities for everyone, not just the wealthy. Everyday issues like abortion rights, community-based investments, worker rights, good-paying jobs, and climate resiliency are all economic issues that impact Americans of all stripes and ages while also contributing to the country’s long-term economic growth. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that when we invest in people, communities, and their well-being, our economy is stronger, unemployment is lower, and financial stability increases for everyone.
When put to the people, the 2022 ballot wins show that Americans want and need continued investment in their lives and communities to make our economy work for all. Progressive policymakers should take heed of the results of the midterm elections, focusing on building better and stronger, meeting the needs of workers, women, young people, and communities of color, as we lead up to 2024.
Arohi Pathak (she/her)
Arohi Pathak is the Director of Poverty Policy at the Center for American Progress.
