• Listen to this segment with Jon Queally

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Elections aren’t just a time to choose politicians and place them positions of power. They are a time for voters to decide directly on issues through state-wide and local ballot measures.

Many crucial issues have come to the fore via the ballot, such as Proposition 8, California’s same-sex marriage ban that reignited the progressive pro-marriage base.

This year voters will face myriad ballot measures on topics dear to progressives. While we cannot cover all ballot measures in all states, we’ll attempt today to examine some of the most important ones, addressing issues of mass incarceration, minimum wage, marijuana legalization, women’s reproductive rights, GMO labeling, and much more.

GUEST: Jon Queally is senior editor at Common Dreams (commondreams.org) which has provided daily online news and views for the progressive community since 1997.