How Child-Focused Ballot Measures Fared This Election

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This article is part of The 74’s EDlection 2024 coverage, which takes a look at candidates’ education policies and how they might impact the American education system after the 2024 election.

This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet focused on education.

Over the past few years, it’s become clear that states need more money to support kids. Pandemic-related aid is long gone, but effects from that era still linger, evident in persistent child care shortages and ongoing child behavioral and mental health concerns. Now, states are increasingly trying to generate new sources of money to support young children, although in at least one state, a ballot measure was designed to pull back on just these kinds of efforts.

At least a dozen measures were on ballots across the country Tuesday, proposing tax increases or new revenue streams to pay for child care and other child-focused services. Voters overwhelmingly chose to maintain or increase spending on these initiatives — though there were some holdouts.

Here’s a look at how early childhood fared this election: (This story will be updated as vote tallies are finalized.)

Child care:

 Washington state: Initiative 2109 aimed to repeal a capital gains tax that passed in 2021 and has since provided child care subsidies and money for select child care programs. By failing, the tax and funding stream for child care will remain in place. FAILED

 Travis County, Texas: Proposition A called for a property tax increase to raise more than $75 million to create affordable child care spots and mitigate the loss of federal pandemic funds for local child care programs. PASSED

 St. Paul, Minnesota: The 2024 Early Care and Learning Proposal is a property tax levy aimed at providing public funding to child care. The city would raise $2 million the first year and add an additional $2 million each year until year 10, with this money going into a special early care and education fund that would help families cover the cost of child care. (The city’s mayor, Melvin Carter, said he was unlikely to enact the tax if it passed). FAILED

Sonoma County, California: Measure I asked voters to approve a quarter-cent countywide sales tax to create a local revenue stream that would help pay for child care and children’s health programs, with a special emphasis on children who experience homelessness. The initiative gained over 20,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the November ballot. LIKELY TO PASS

 La Plata County, Colorado: Ballot Issue 1A will redirect up to 70 percent of revenue from a lodger’s tax toward child care and affordable housing. PASSED

 Grand County, Colorado: Ballot Measure 1A will increase the county’s lodging tax from 1.8 percent to 2 percent, with the revenue paying for tourism, housing and child care. PASSED

 Montrose, Colorado: Ballot Issue 2A will increase the city’s hotel tax and put 17 percent of the revenue toward local child care. PASSED

Early childhood health, education and well-being:

 Platte County, Missouri: The Platte County Children’s Services Fund measure calls for a quarter cent sales tax increase to create a revenue stream for mental health programs, including early childhood screening. PASSED

Pomona County, California: Measure Y aims to reallocate at least 10 percent of funds in an existing city general fund to create a Department of Children and Youth. The funds would also be used to pay for youth programs, child care and support for parents. LIKELY TO PASS

Santa Cruz, California: Measure Z proposed a $0.02 per ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to raise funds that can be used for youth mental health and programs for children. LIKELY TO PASS

 Colorado: Proposition KK aims to establish a $39 million fund by imposing a 6.5 percent excise tax on guns and ammunition. While most of the money is directed at crime victim and veterans mental health services, $3 million will fund behavioral health services for children. PASSED

 Missouri: Amendment 5 would have established a new gambling boat license, with the estimated $14 million in revenue funding public school early childhood literacy programs. FAILED

 Nevada: Question 5 on the ballot this year gave voters the chance to exempt diapers from sales tax, starting on January 1, 2025. PASSED

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