Ballot Issues: Voters May Loosen Pot Rules

The legalization of marijuana could take three more steps forward tonight. The first related vote is in Washington, DC, where a measure on the ballot would allow people to grow and possess pot but not sell it. Later results will come in from Oregon and Alaska, whose residents will decide whether to allow the sale of marijuana in shops similar to those operating in Colorado and Washington state, reports Reuters. "Win or lose, we expect to see more support and more dialogue about the issue than ever," says a spokesman for the legalization advocacy group the Marijuana Policy Project.

The AP rounds up other notable ballot issues, including:

• Abortion: Colorado voters will vote on an amendment that would let prosecutors bring charges against a person who commits a crime against a fetus. A North Dakota measure would bestow "the inalienable right to life" for humans at "any stage of development," and one in Tennessee would give state lawmakers more authority to regulate abortions.
• Minimum wage: Alaska's would rise $7.75 to $9.75 by 2016, Arkansas' from $6.25 to $8.50 by 2017, Nebraska's from $7.25 to $8 on Jan. 1, and South Dakota's from $7.25 to $8.50 on Jan. 1.
• Food labeling: Colorado and Oregon would require labels on genetically modified foods, though not on meals with GMO foods served in restaurants.

(More midterm elections stories.)