Pot, gays, and governors | The Week

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are the headliners, but the rest of the card is pretty interesting too. Three states have initiatives that would decriminalize the casual use of marijuana —

Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. The language of each measure violates federal law, which takes precedence; will Romney/Obama's Justice Department enforce the law? Or will the first

state to actively legalize recreational use open the door to a new way of dealing with drugs? NB: Washington state's measure has the best chance of passing. Medical marijuana

legalization is on the ballot in Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Montana. SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple

perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE SIGN UP FOR THE WEEK'S FREE NEWSLETTERS From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly

to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. As always, California has a plethora of ballot

initiatives and referenda. Prop 36 would give judges more discretion to impose less harsh terminal sentences for third strike offenders; Prop 34 would kill the death penalty. Prop 37 would

mandate labels on genetically modified foods. There are competing tax hikes — the Democratic governor supports Prop 30, which would raise the sales tax to fund increases in the state

education budget. Another proposition would do the same by increasing income taxes. Unions are fighting like hell to defeat Prop 32, which would prevent them from automatically deducting

dues out of members' paychecks. Technically, Prop 32 is also supposed to ban corporations from doing the same thing, but since the measure is funded by corporate interests, there are

loopholes. Gay rights advocates are crossing their fingers that Maryland will become the first state to vote to legalize same-sex marriage. Maine could also do the same by overturning a

previous measure; Minnesotans will vote on "one man and one woman" constitutional language provision. Gay marriage is also on the ballot in Washington state. Back in 2002, then-DNC

chairman Terry McAuliffe famously spun the party's election results by saying that "half of America is waking up in states controlled by Democratic governors." Whatever the

result for Republicans tonight, they're likely to hold at least 30 state executive slots, picking up at least one held by a Democrat. Washington state and Montana provide Republicans

with their best shots. A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Explore More Analysis