Public policy in the 2016 elections

• Fiscal policy
  • Budgets
    • Budget and finances by state
    • Tax policy by state
    • State Budget Terms
    • State government tax collections by source
    • Total state expenditures
    • State spending by function as a percent of total expenditures
    • State debt
  • Finance
    • Financial regulation in the United States
    • Dodd-Frank Act
    • Federal Reserve
  • Pensions
    • Pension policy by state
    • Public pension health by state
    • Pension reform in San Jose and San Diego
    • Pension Terms and Definitions
    • Public pensions
• Civil liberties
  • Affirmative action
  • Campaign finance
  • Nonprofit regulation
• Education
  • Public education by state
  • School choice by state
  • Charter schools by state
  • Higher education by state
  • Education policy in the United States
  • Public education in the United States
  • Education statistics
    • Education statistics in the United States
    • Education spending per pupil
    • Number of schools by school type in the U.S.
    • Demographic information for all students in the United States
    • Public school system expenditures in the United States
    • Public school system revenues in the United States
    • Public school teacher salaries in the United States
    • Graduation rates by groups in state
    • Public high school dropout rates by state
    • ACT and SAT scores in the United States
    • NAEP scores by state
  • Major terms
    • Blended learning
    • Charter schools
    • Common Core
    • Dropout rate
    • Progressive education
    • Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate
    • School vouchers
    • Teacher merit pay
  • United States education agencies
• Elections
  • Voting policy
    • Voter identification laws by state
    • Online voter registration
    • Early voting
  • Ballot access
    • Ballot access for presidential candidates
    • Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
    • List of political parties in the United States
    • Political party designation
  • Redistricting
    • State-by-state redistricting procedures
    • Majority-minority districts
• Energy and Environment
  • Energy Policy by state
  • Fracking
    • Fracking information by state
    • Fracking
    • Fracking in the United States
  • Energy policy in the United States
  • Energy use in the United States
  • Oil and gas on federal lands by state
  • Energy terms and definitions
  • Agencies and legislation
  • Environmental Policy by state
  • Endangered Species Policy
    • Endangered species policy by state
  • Environmental policy in the United States
  • Environmental statistics
  • Endangered species statistics
  • Glossary of environmental terms
  • Glossary of endangered species terms
• Healthcare
  • Healthcare policy by state
  • Medicaid spending by state
  • Effect of the Affordable Care Act by state
  • Healthcare policy in the United States
  • Affordable Care Act
• Immigration
  • Immigration in the United States
  • Immigration by state
• Index

Featured issue: Healthcare

Healthcare policy was a significant topic of debate in the 2016 elections. In the presidential campaign, prescription drug prices were a prominent issue. At the state level, legislatures debated the expansion of Medicaid programs as provided for under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. States addressed rising healthcare costs and their impact on state budgets. Republican candidates generally opposed the Affordable Care Act and favored expanding the use of health savings accounts and lessening state regulations. Democratic candidates generally supported expanding upon the Affordable Care Act, and some called for a completely new single-payer system.

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Featured issue: Election policy

A variety of election policy matters played out in statehouses and courtrooms across the nation in 2016. Election policy dictates the conditions under which American citizens vote, encompassing issues such as voter registration, early voting, absentee voting, and voter ID requirements. In addition, election policy determines how candidates get their names on election ballots and how electoral districts are drawn. Set primarily at the state level, these policies were the subject of much debate in 2016.

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Learn more

Want to know more?

Learn about the Public Policy Project on Ballotpedia.

The Public Policy Project on Ballotpedia aims to illuminate major policy issues being discussed and implemented throughout the United States. Public policy can be complicated and controversial; deciding what works best and how to allocate resources to achieve a policy goal can involve multiple trade-offs.

Be informed!
Check out our coverage of policy disputes in the 2016 election.

• Budget policy disputes
• Education policy disputes
• Election policy disputes
• Energy policy disputes
• Environmental policy disputes
• Healthcare policy disputes

See also the Index of Contents: Public policy desk. Read about our editorial approach at Public Policy editorial approach.

What we're covering

Census apportionment, 2010

• Affirmative action
• Education policy in the United States
• Environmental terms
• Mercury and air toxics standards
• Obamacare
• State budget and finance
• State campaign finance regulations
• Voting policies in the United States