Measure by measure

While congressional and gubernatorial races grabbed headlines, voters also decided 205 ballot measures across the nation. A roundup of some key results:

Minimum wage

Measures to boost the minimum wage passed in Arizona, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio. One was narrowly passing in Colorado.

Affirmative action

Michigan voters ended affirmative action in university admissions and government hiring. A bipartisan coalition of top Republicans and Democrats opposed the measure, but it passed by a wide margin.

Marijuana

Colorado and Nevada rejected measures to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. In South Dakota, a measure that would legalize medical marijuana failed narrowly.

Judicial overhaul

A proposal to let citizens sue judges in South Dakota was voted down by a huge margin. An effort in Colorado to limit terms of state Supreme Court justices and appellate judges was losing, as was a proposal in Oregon to elect high court judges by geographic district.

Immigration

Arizona voters passed four measures that target illegal immigrants. They would not be able to make bail or collect damage awards in court, and would be denied public subsidies for education and child care. A fourth measure makes English the state’s official language.

Stem cell research

Missourians appeared to be narrowly approving a constitutional amendment that would allow, but put limits on, stem cell research.

Vote and win

Arizonans rejected a measure to award $1 million by lottery to a state voter after each general election.

Eminent domain

Eleven states considered eminent-domain measures barring the government from taking private property for private use; Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire and South Carolina overwhelmingly approved them. In four states -- Arizona, California, Idaho and Washington -- voters could require state and local authorities to compensate property owners if land-use regulations lowered the value of their property.

Smoking ban

In Ohio, smoking foes won a showdown with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. Voters passed a tough ban on smoking in public places and rejected a rival measure that would have exempted bars, bowling alleys and racetracks.

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Source: From staff and wire reports