What climate initiatives were on the midterm ballot?

Voters in New York, California, and Rhode Island weighed in on key climate-related legislation when they cast their ballots on Tuesday.

In New York, voters considered the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, which would dedicate funding to ecosystem restoration, land conservation, climate change mitigation, and water and climate change resilient infrastructure, Grist explains.

California's ballot has a proposition for an extra 1.75 percent income tax for those earning more than $2 million annually to support zero-emission vehicle programs as well as wildfire prevention and response efforts, reports The Guardian.

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Rhode Island had a smaller measure, which issues $50 million in bonds for environmental and recreational purposes, a measure which is likely to pass given the early results.

"It's unusual for there not to be more [state-level] environmental ballot initiatives," Nick Abraham told Grist on the behalf of the League of Conservation Voters, "but hopefully it's a sign of progress."

Voters made their voices heard on climate issues in other ways too, however. The election of Democrat Wes Moore for governor in Maryland, for example, was hailed as "a huge win for climate and clean energy," according to activist group Evergreen Action, since he "beats far-right candidate Dan Cox — named one of the worst environmental candidates in the nation" and "replaces a Republican governor who dragged his feet on climate."