| In all of the instances below, where a new or existing beverage container deposit law was put to public vote, bottle bill opposition spent significantly larger amounts on their campaign. Statistics indicate that their financial strategies worked; in all but three of the cases, the bottle bill was defeated or the law repealed. | |||||
Bill Information |
Vote Count |
Campaign Spending |
Result for Bottle Bill |
||
| Colorado 1976 |
331,315
|
Yes
|
$25,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Amendment 8 |
682,056
|
No
|
$51,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Maine 1976 |
274,164
|
Yes
|
$26,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Deposit Referendum |
200,000
|
No
|
$404,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Michigan 1976 |
2,154,215
|
Yes
|
$117,175
|
Proponents
|
Positive
|
| Proposal A |
1,219,783
|
No
|
$1,219,783
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Nebraska 1978 |
211,732
|
Yes
|
$11,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Proposition 301 |
280,522
|
No
|
$350,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Maine 1979 |
226,076
|
No
|
$165,000
|
Proponents
|
Positive
|
| Repeal Attempt |
41,802
|
Yes
|
$22,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ohio 1979 |
768,898
|
Yes
|
$88,855
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Issue 1 |
2,019,834
|
No
|
$1,550,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Washington 1979 |
380,247
|
Yes
|
$72,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Initiative 61 |
517,177
|
No
|
$968,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| California 1982 |
359,281
|
Yes
|
$900,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Proposition 11 |
4,256,274
|
No
|
$5,800,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Colorado 1982 |
242,653
|
Yes
|
$500,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Initiative 5 |
708,564
|
No
|
$2,500,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Massachusetts 1982 |
1,143,956
|
Yes
|
$250,000
|
Proponents
|
Positive
|
| Question 4 (Should the bottle bill be upheld?) |
79,846
|
No
|
$1,000,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Washington 1982 |
400,136
|
Yes
|
$248,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Initiative 414 |
965,951
|
No
|
$965,951
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Washington D.C 1987 |
33,870
|
Yes
|
$80,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Initiative 28 |
41,836
|
No
|
$2,297,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Oregon 1996 |
559,672
|
Yes
|
$400,000
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Measure 37 (Expansion) |
839,508
|
No
|
$3,200,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Columbia, MO 2002 |
7,700
|
No
|
$16,147
|
Proponents
|
Negative
|
| Proposition 1 (Repeal Attempt) |
10,500
|
Yes
|
$88,000
|
Opponents
|
|
|
Sources: The Returnable Times , Environmental Action, 1988, Oregon Public Interest Research Group, 1996, Columbia Daily Tribune, 2002 |
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