38 big-money issues in balance on ballots

— -- School vouchers, stem cell research and other volatile issues will dominate the 38 ballot measures to be decided by voters in six states on Nov. 6.

The number of ballot issues this year — a year without federal elections — is down slightly from 2005 because California does not have an election this year.

Big-money slugfests are underway on ballots in Utah, Oregon and Washington. Voters in Texas, New Jersey and Maine are being asked to approve large bond issues to continue a year of record borrowing by state and local governments.

The ballot measures offer a preview of what issues could surface in dozens of states next year when political interest groups will use such initiatives to attract voters in the presidential and congressional races.

The most important test case is in Utah, where voters are being asked to overturn a law that permits school vouchers to help send children to private schools.

The National Education Association, a teachers union, is leading a multimillion-dollar campaign to have voters reject the voucher program. Voucher supporters also are spending large amounts.

The Utah Legislature approved school vouchers earlier this year. Families would get vouchers of $500 to $3,000, depending on income, to help pay tuition at private schools.

A victory in Utah would be a major win for the teachers union and public-school advocates.

"If they can win in a heavily Republican state like Utah, it sends a message that they can beat these voucher laws anywhere in the country," says John Matsusaka, president of the Initiative & Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California.

Polls show voters leaning to reject the voucher program.

The Utah measure illustrates how state ballot issues have become part of the chess game on national politics. In 2004, amendments against gay marriage drew conservative voters to the polls. In 2006, measures to raise the minimum wage attracted liberal voters.

Both sides are trying to find ballot measures that will increase turnout among like-minded voters in the 2008 elections. Liberals are looking at measures involving health care and unfair loan practices, says Kristina Wilfore, executive director of the liberal Ballot Initiative Strategy Center in Washington, D.C. Conservative groups are exploring issues involving abortion or immigration, she says.