Maryland Voters Uphold Handgun Curb

Maryland handed the gun lobby a major setback; Florida declared English to be its official language, and nuclear power received votes of confidence in Massachusetts and Nebraska as voters around the country decided numerous highly charged ballot measures Tuesday.

With 82% of the precincts reporting, 58% of Maryland voters upheld a 6-month-old state law effectively banning cheap handguns known as “Saturday night specials.” The National Rifle Assn. had poured more than $4 million into a media campaign to repeal it.

In Florida, 86% of the voters decided to declare English the official state language, with 23% of the tally in. Colorado and Arizona voters weighed similar amendments.

In Michigan, voters considered banning state-financed abortions for poor women except to save the life of the mother. With 3% of the precincts reporting, 53,820, or 61%, favored a ban, whereas 34,978, or 39%, were opposed.

Arkansas Abortion Measure

With one-third of Arkansas’ vote in, a proposed amendment that would protect life beginning at conception and forbid state-financed abortions had a slim 51%-49% lead. Coloradans voted on whether to repeal a similar measure.

Early returns showed Massachusetts voters trouncing an initiative, opposed by Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, effectively shutting down the state’s two nuclear plants. With 40% of the vote tallied, 69% opposed the measure and 31% favored it.

Another Massachusetts initiative aimed at protecting farm animals from cruelty also was losing by a 71%-29% margin, and 60% of that state’s voters were rejecting a measure that would have repealed the “prevailing wage” law requiring union wages on public projects.

In Nebraska, residents decided against becoming the first state to withdraw from an interstate nuclear waste compact.

In all, voters in 41 states faced 238 statewide ballot questions.

Kentucky, Indiana Lotteries

In Kentucky, voters overwhelmingly endorsed a proposed lottery by a 61%-39% margin, and Indianians likewise passed a lottery measure. Idaho and Minnesota also had lottery proposals on their ballots.

Among the more stringent tax-cutting measures, Proposition 2, which would roll back property taxes and limit future increases in South Dakota, was losing in early returns, 57% to 43%. Opponents, including Gov. George S. Mickelson, warned that the measure could cost government up to $112 million.

Coloradans were deciding on Amendment 6, the so-called Taxpayers Bill of Rights Amendment, which would cut income taxes about 10%, limit property taxes and require voter approval on future hikes except in emergencies.

In Utah, voters defeated three tax initiatives that together would have lowered state and local revenues by $329 million. One would have limited property taxes; the second would have rolled back income, sales, gasoline and cigarette taxes, and a third would have granted tax credits for private education.

Nevadans voted on a constitutional prohibition on income taxes.

Arkansas Rejects Tax Plan

On the other side, Arkansas residents rejected a “Fair Tax Amendment” that would have made it easier for the Legislature to raise certain taxes. With 33% of the vote in, it failed by 62% to 38%.

Among other major ballot contests:

--Florida residents faced an amendment limiting liability claims for bodily injury to $100,000 for non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering.

--In New York, a contest over a proposed record $3 billion in borrowing to repair roads and bridges was close. With 42% of precincts reporting, 837,827, or 51%, were in favor; 795,917, or 49%, were against.

--South Dakotans considered banning corporate hog farming by non-residents.

Voters in that state also weighed legalizing gambling in Deadwood, a Black Hills town where Wild Bill Hickok died playing poker and where townspeople are now eager for money to preserve Wild West architecture.

A third South Dakota measure would require strip-miners to restore land to original contours where possible.