News writer
With a constitutional amendment on the ballot, voters in Minnesota overwhelmingly passed it, allowing lottery dollars to go toward the environment.
What was the ballot question?
For the ballot issue, voters were asked this question:
Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to protect drinking water sources and the water quality of lakes, rivers, and streams; conserve wildlife habitat and natural areas; improve air quality; and expand access to parks and trails by extending the transfer of proceeds from the state-operated lottery to the environment and natural resources trust fund, and to dedicate the proceeds for these purposes?
Voters were asked to approve or deny the constitutional amendment, which would codify the use of Minnesota Lottery funds to help support state conservation projects.
'Yes' votes win out
Of course, yesterday was election day in the United States, and voters in Minnesota overwhelmingly voted to continue to fund conservation efforts for another 25 years.
With almost all of the votes tallied, over 77% of Minnesotans approved the constitutional amendment extension on the 2024 ballot.
That means the amendment will be extended through 2050 now and will allocate no less than 40% of the state's lottery revenues into the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, which is aimed at protecting Minnesota's environment and natural resources.
The original amendment was first approved by voters in 1988, which led to $700 million in funding for 1,700 different projects. If the new amendment wouldn't have been approved, the original amendment would have expired in 2025.
Constitutional amendment on Arkansas ballot also
Voters in Arkansas were also tasked with voting on a constitutional amendment that would have allowed proceeds from the Arkansas Lottery to be used for scholarships and grants for student enrollment in vocational-technical schools and technical institutes.
In 2008, voters in Arkansas approved Amendment 87 to the state constitution. This limited proceeds from the state's lottery scholarship being used for those enrolled in public and private nonprofit two- and four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas.
This new amendment, labeled Issue 1, would expand the use of scholarships or grants to vocational and technical schools.
On Tuesday night, Arkansas voters spoke, and they spoke overwhelmingly in passing the Issue 1 amendment. With almost all of the votes counted, 89.6% of voters had approved the amendment.
With the passage of Issue 1, students in Arkansas will now have better access to training programs, such as licensed practical nursing, HVAC, trucking, plumbing, refrigeration, and industrial maintenance.
Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R - Elm Springs, sponsored the legislation to put Issue 1 on the ballot. She told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette:
The people of Arkansas appreciate vo-tech. This is an exciting opportunity, and I'm excited for every person, every trade, every skill, and Arkansas now has that much opportunity.
With voters approving the amendment, it will now take effect on January 1, 2025.
Since 2009, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has raised more than $1.4 billion, according to lottery officials.
Enjoy playing the Minnesota Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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