#Ballot propositions nix progressive ideas — but OK drug use

Voters even in strongly Democratic states just rejected progressive ideas in a host of ballot proposals.

Perhaps most notably, Californians slapped down several initiatives, including a bid to expand rent control as well as Proposition 16, which would have lifted a decades-long ban on affirmative action in government agencies and public universities.

More, they nixed Prop 16 despite a full-court press by the state’s elites.

And, even as New York considers passing its own law to limit your right to work as a freelancer, California voters opted to roll back much of that state’s landmark anti-freelancer law, known as AB5.

That law mainly aimed to force Uber and other rideshare firms to convert their drivers into full-time employees. But it wound up slamming all independent contractors — basically making it near-impossible for folks like freelance writers to make a living if they live in California.

The Legislature had partly fixed the law — but now voters have explicitly exempted even app-based companies like Uber.

In another notable result, Illinois voters rejected a measure that would’ve made it far easier for state lawmakers to hike taxes.

The biggest “progressive” trend was actually more of a libertarian one, as drug use won big: Five states took steps toward legalizing pot, with a big yes from New Jersey and Arizona for recreational use. And Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs like heroin, cocaine and meth. The state also joined the District of Columbia in OKing psychedelic mushrooms as a form of therapy.

All of which may give some voters something else to do while they await the presidential results . . .