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a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-pretitle">Part of the <a href="/wiki/Category:Politics" title="Category:Politics">Politics series</a></td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle" style="border-top:1px #fafafa solid; border-bottom:1px #fafafa solid; background:#efefef; background: var(--background-color-interactive, #efefef); color: var(--color-base, #000); padding:0.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Direct_democracy" title="Direct democracy">Direct democracy</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Ballot_Box_Silhouette.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Ballot_Box_Silhouette.svg/100px-Ballot_Box_Silhouette.svg.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="102" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Ballot_Box_Silhouette.svg/150px-Ballot_Box_Silhouette.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Ballot_Box_Silhouette.svg/200px-Ballot_Box_Silhouette.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="744" data-file-height="762" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="text-align:left;text-align:center;"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#efefef; border-top:1px solid;background: var(--background-color-interactive, #efefef); color: var(--color-base, #000); background:#efefef;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Referendums" class="mw-redirect" title="Referendums">Referendum types</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Optional_referendum" title="Optional referendum">Optional referendum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Legislative_referral" title="Legislative referral">Legislative referral</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Popular_initiative" title="Popular initiative">Popular initiative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Recall_referendum" class="mw-redirect" title="Recall referendum">Recall referendum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Popular_referendum" title="Popular referendum">Popular referendum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mandatory_referendum" title="Mandatory referendum">Mandatory referendum</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="text-align:left;text-align:center;"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#efefef; border-top:1px solid;background: var(--background-color-interactive, #efefef); color: var(--color-base, #000); background:#efefef;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Referendums_by_country" title="Referendums by country">Referendums by country</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Australia" title="Referendums in Australia">Australia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Canada" title="Referendums in Canada">Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_the_Czech_Republic" title="Referendums in the Czech Republic">Czechia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/European_Citizens%27_Initiative" title="European Citizens' Initiative">EU</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_France" title="Referendums in France">France</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Germany" title="Referendums in Germany">Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Italy" title="Referendums in Italy">Italy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Iran" title="Referendums in Iran">Iran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Israel" title="Referendums in Israel">Israel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Kenya" title="Referendums in Kenya">Kenya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Lithuania" title="Referendums in Lithuania">Lithuania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_the_Netherlands" title="Referendums in the Netherlands">Netherlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_New_Zealand" title="Referendums in New Zealand">New Zealand</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Poland" title="Referendums in Poland">Poland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_the_Philippines" title="Referendums in the Philippines">Philippines</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Sweden" title="Referendums in Sweden">Sweden</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Slovakia" title="Referendums in Slovakia">Slovakia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Popular_initiative_(Switzerland)" class="mw-redirect" title="Popular initiative (Switzerland)">Switzerland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Turkey" title="Referendums in Turkey">Turkey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Taiwan" title="Referendums in Taiwan">Taiwan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_the_United_Kingdom" title="Referendums in the United Kingdom">UK</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_in_Ukraine" title="Referendums in Ukraine">Ukraine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Initiatives_and_referendums_in_the_United_States" title="Initiatives and referendums in the United States">USA</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="text-align:left;text-align:center;"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#efefef; border-top:1px solid;background: var(--background-color-interactive, #efefef); color: var(--color-base, #000); background:#efefef;;color: var(--color-base)">Referendums by issue</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Civil_rights_referendum" title="Civil rights referendum">Civil rights</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Financial_referendum" title="Financial referendum">Finance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mining_referendum" title="Mining referendum">Mining</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/War_referendum" title="War referendum">War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Independence_referendum" title="Independence referendum">Independence</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referendums_related_to_the_European_Union" title="Referendums related to the European Union">EU</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="text-align:left;text-align:center;"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#efefef; border-top:1px solid;background: var(--background-color-interactive, #efefef); color: var(--color-base, #000); background:#efefef;;color: var(--color-base)">Referendums by method</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Electronic_referendum" title="Electronic referendum">E-referendum</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="text-align:left;text-align:center;"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#efefef; border-top:1px solid;background: var(--background-color-interactive, #efefef); color: var(--color-base, #000); background:#efefef;;color: var(--color-base)">History of direct democracy</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Athenian_democracy" title="Athenian democracy">Athenian democracy</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">in USA</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="text-align:left;text-align:center;"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#efefef; border-top:1px solid;background: var(--background-color-interactive, #efefef); color: var(--color-base, #000); background:#efefef;;color: var(--color-base)">Related</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Direct_election" title="Direct election">Direct election</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Citizens%27_assembly" title="Citizens' assembly">Citizens' assembly</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Popular_assembly" title="Popular assembly">Popular assembly</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Citizen%27s_jury" class="mw-redirect" title="Citizen's jury">Citizen's jury</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Participatory_budgeting" title="Participatory budgeting">Participatory budgeting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_direct_democracy_parties" title="List of direct democracy parties">List of direct democracy parties</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ballot_title" title="Ballot title">Ballot title</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sortition" title="Sortition">Sortition</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-below" style="background:#efefef;background: var(--background-color-interactive, #efefef); color: var(--color-base, #000);"> <span class="nowrap"><span class="mw-image-border noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:A_coloured_voting_box.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/A_coloured_voting_box.svg/16px-A_coloured_voting_box.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/A_coloured_voting_box.svg/24px-A_coloured_voting_box.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/A_coloured_voting_box.svg/32px-A_coloured_voting_box.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="160" data-file-height="160" /></a></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Portal:Politics" title="Portal:Politics">Politics portal</a></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Direct_Democracy" title="Template:Direct Democracy"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Direct_Democracy" title="Template talk:Direct Democracy"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Direct_Democracy" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Direct Democracy"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Direct democracy refers to decision making or <a href="/wiki/Direct_election" title="Direct election">direct vote</a> a proposal, law, or political issue by the <a href="/wiki/Constituency" class="mw-redirect" title="Constituency">electorate</a>, rather than being voted on by <a href="/wiki/Representative_democracy" title="Representative democracy">representatives</a> in a state or local legislature or council. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Colonial_era">Colonial era</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Colonial era"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The history of <a href="/wiki/Direct_democracy" title="Direct democracy">direct democracy</a> amongst non-Native Americans in the United States dates from the 1630s in the <a href="/wiki/New_England" title="New England">New England</a> <a href="/wiki/Thirteen_Colonies" title="Thirteen Colonies">Colonies</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The legislatures of the New England colonies were initially governed as <a href="/wiki/Popular_assemblies" class="mw-redirect" title="Popular assemblies">popular assemblies</a>, with every <a href="/wiki/Freeman_(Colonial)" class="mw-redirect" title="Freeman (Colonial)">freeman</a> eligible to directly vote in the election of officers and drafting of laws. Within a couple of years, the growth of the colonies population and geographic distance made these meetings impractical and they were substituted for representative assemblies. <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Bay_Colony" title="Massachusetts Bay Colony">Massachusetts Bay Colony</a> switched to a representative system for its <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_General_Court" title="Massachusetts General Court">General court</a> in 1634, and Plymouth colony for its <a href="/wiki/Plymouth_General_Court" title="Plymouth General Court">General court</a> in 1638.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Many <a href="/wiki/New_England_town" title="New England town">New England towns</a> today operate under the form of <a href="/wiki/Town_meeting" title="Town meeting">open town meetings</a> that date back to colonial times. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="19th_century">19th century</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: 19th century"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In mid-19th century politics voting on ballot questions became a solution for solving difficult questions, such as <a href="/wiki/Temperance_movement_in_the_United_States" title="Temperance movement in the United States">temperance</a> and control of liquor. Except for the states that passed total prohibition of alcohol every state created a version of <a href="/wiki/Local_option" title="Local option">the local option</a>, which allowed citizens to vote on whether to allow the sale of alcohol in their area.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Inspiration for the main American movement was based on the <a href="/wiki/List_of_Swiss_federal_referendums" title="List of Swiss federal referendums">Swiss experience</a>. New Jersey labor activist James W. Sullivan visited <a href="/wiki/Switzerland" title="Switzerland">Switzerland</a> in 1888 and wrote a detailed book that became a bible for reformers pushing the idea: <i>Direct Legislation by the Citizenship Through the Initiative and Referendum</i> (1893).<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> He suggested that using the initiative would give political power to the working class and reduce the need for strikes. Sullivan's book was first widely read on the left, as by labor activists, socialists and populists. <a href="/wiki/William_Simon_U%27Ren" title="William Simon U'Ren">William U'Ren</a> was an early convert who used it to build the Oregon reform crusade. By 1900 middle class "progressive" reformers everywhere were studying it.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Progressive_Era">Progressive Era</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Progressive Era"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Inspired by exposés written by <a href="/wiki/Investigative_journalist" class="mw-redirect" title="Investigative journalist">investigative journalists</a> (the famous <a href="/wiki/Muckraker" title="Muckraker">muckrakers</a>), and correlations between special interests' abuses of farmers and special interests' abuses of urban workers, <a href="/wiki/Progressive_Era" title="Progressive Era">self-styled progressives</a> formed local and state citizen organizations to oppose corruption and giant monopolies ("trusts"). One popular tool after 1898 was the initiative. From 1898 to 1918, the Progressives forced direct democracy <a href="/wiki/Petition" title="Petition">petition</a> components into the constitutions of twenty-six states. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Oregon_system">Oregon system</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Oregon system"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:William_S_U%27_Ren_001.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/William_S_U%27_Ren_001.jpg/220px-William_S_U%27_Ren_001.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="355" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/William_S_U%27_Ren_001.jpg/330px-William_S_U%27_Ren_001.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/William_S_U%27_Ren_001.jpg/440px-William_S_U%27_Ren_001.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1606" data-file-height="2589" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/William_Simon_U%27Ren" title="William Simon U'Ren">William Simon U'Ren</a>, a progressive leader largely responsible for the creation of the <a href="/wiki/Direct_democracy_in_Oregon" title="Direct democracy in Oregon">Oregon system.</a></figcaption></figure> <p>The constitutional placement of direct democracy petition components was seen by those citizen majorities as necessary. Given the obvious corruption in state governments, the lack of sovereign public control over the output of state legislatures was seen as "the fundamental defect" in the nation's legislative machinery. Advocates insisted that the only way to make the founding fathers' vision work was to take the "misrepresentation" out of representative government with the sovereign people's direct legislation (Special Committee of the National Economic League, 1912). Third parties and national organizations started pressing the issue of direct democracy in the 1890s, and were typically closely tied to other issues like <a href="/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage" title="Women's suffrage">women's suffrage</a>, <a href="/wiki/Recall_election" title="Recall election">recall</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Seventeenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">direct election of senators</a>. Labor organizations like the <a href="/wiki/Knights_of_Labor" title="Knights of Labor">Knights of Labor</a> started using frequent referendums among their members to decide policy at the national level, and several unions like the General Master Workmen voted to support this model of direct legislation in politics.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The most notable political party to take up direct legislation was the <a href="/wiki/People%27s_Party_(United_States)" title="People's Party (United States)">People's Party</a>, commonly called the populists. The Populists put direct legislation in their in 1896 platform,<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and they would later that year win <a href="/wiki/1896_and_1897_United_States_Senate_elections" class="mw-redirect" title="1896 and 1897 United States Senate elections">5 Senate seats</a> and <a href="/wiki/1896_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections" title="1896 United States House of Representatives elections">22 House of Representative seats</a>. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Nebraska" title="Nebraska">Nebraska</a> adopted the referendum for municipal governments within its boundaries in 1897. <a href="/wiki/South_Dakota" title="South Dakota">South Dakota</a> was the first state to adopt the referendum, in 1898, patterning its system after that of <a href="/wiki/Switzerland" title="Switzerland">Switzerland</a>. The adoption of the initiative and referendum <a href="/wiki/Direct_democracy_in_Oregon" title="Direct democracy in Oregon">in Oregon</a> in 1902 was widely copied and put in the constitutions of <a href="/wiki/Western_United_States" title="Western United States">western states</a>, and the system was popularly referred to as the "Oregon system". A leading advocate of direct democracy was <a href="/wiki/William_Simon_U%27Ren" title="William Simon U'Ren">William S. U'Ren</a>, who pressed the issue within the Oregon through the <a href="/wiki/Direct_Legislation_League" title="Direct Legislation League">Direct Legislation League</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, it was not all successful. Most notably, residents of Texas rejected the referendum because the version put on the ballot by the legislature required 20% of the vote. Other states where the constitutional amendments to place direct democracy failed include Mississippi, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. By 1918 enthusiasm waned, and there would be a lull in the expansion of direct democracy for the next 50 years. Florida would adopt the right to the ballot initiative under a new state constitution in 1968, to be applied to constitutional amendments, and Mississippi would adopt a restricted form of initiative process in 1992. </p><p>Initiative and referendum (I&R) citizen lawmaking spread across the United States because state legislatures were unresponsive in creating laws that the people needed to protect themselves from <a href="/wiki/Lobby_group" class="mw-redirect" title="Lobby group">lobby groups</a>, <a href="/wiki/Laissez-faire" title="Laissez-faire">laissez-faire</a> economics, and the era's <a href="/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist)" title="Robber baron (industrialist)">robber barons</a>. Additionally, while legislatures were quick to pass laws benefitting special interests, both legislatures and the courts were inflexible in their refusals to amend, repeal or adjudicate those laws in ways that would eliminate special interest advantages and end abuses of the majority. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Modern_Era">Modern Era</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Modern Era"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Arenza Thigpen Jr. is a <a href="/wiki/Petition" title="Petition">petition</a> drive manager (a type of <a href="/wiki/Political_consultant" class="mw-redirect" title="Political consultant">political consultant</a>) & international <a href="/wiki/Direct_democracy" title="Direct democracy">direct democracy</a> activist. Arenza manages petition drives to put <a href="/wiki/Initiatives" class="mw-redirect" title="Initiatives">initiatives</a> on the ballot at the state level in 23 states in the United States.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Arenza is the admin of a <a href="/wiki/Facebook_Group" class="mw-redirect" title="Facebook Group">Facebook Group</a> named ILSG with 1,400 petitioners & hosts a Sunday night weekly conference.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Arenza has travelled the world lecturing on the importance of having a direct democracy process.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2021, Arenza voted to approved all the ballot measures in Alaska & encouraged everyone to get out to vote.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Initiative_examples">Initiative examples</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Initiative examples"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>There are many examples of <a href="/wiki/Initiatives_and_referendums_in_the_United_States" title="Initiatives and referendums in the United States">Initiatives and referendums in the United States</a>, for instance: </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="California">California</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: California"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/California_ballot_proposition" title="California ballot proposition">California ballot proposition</a></div> <p>On June 6, 1978, <a href="/wiki/California_Proposition_13_(1978)" class="mw-redirect" title="California Proposition 13 (1978)">Proposition 13</a> (a ballot <a href="/wiki/Popular_initiative" title="Popular initiative">initiative</a>) was enacted by the voters of the State of <a href="/wiki/California" title="California">California</a>. Its passage resulted in a cap on <a href="/wiki/Property_tax" title="Property tax">property tax</a> rates in the state, reducing them by an average of 57%. Proposition 13 received an enormous amount of publicity, not only in California, but throughout the <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>. Its passage presaged a "<a href="/wiki/Tax_revolt" class="mw-redirect" title="Tax revolt">taxpayer revolt</a>" throughout the country. </p><p>Proposition 13 was officially titled the "People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation." It passed with 65% of voters in favor and 35% against, with 70% of registered voters participating. It was placed on the ballot through the California <a href="/wiki/Popular_initiative" title="Popular initiative">initiative</a> (or <a href="/wiki/Referendum" title="Referendum">referendum</a>) process under which a proposed law or <a href="/wiki/Constitutional_amendment" title="Constitutional amendment">constitutional amendment</a>, termed a "proposition," is placed on the ballot once its backers gather a sufficient number of signatures on a petition. When passed, Proposition 13 became article 13A of the California state constitution. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Massachusetts">Massachusetts</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Massachusetts"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Direct_democracy_in_Massachusetts" title="Direct democracy in Massachusetts">Direct democracy in Massachusetts</a></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Massachusetts" title="Massachusetts">Massachusetts</a> passed a similar law, within the <i>initiative petition</i> process in the state, called <a href="/wiki/Proposition_2%C2%BD" class="mw-redirect" title="Proposition 2½">Proposition 2½</a>, in 1980, which added a reduction to the <a href="/wiki/Vehicle_excise_duty" class="mw-redirect" title="Vehicle excise duty">auto excise tax</a> rate within Massachusetts, to the idea of the California Proposition 13's type of property tax provision, limiting both levels of taxation to $25.00 per $1,000 of valuation, of the property or vehicle on which such a tax is levied in Massachusetts. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Nevada">Nevada</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Nevada"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 1990, the civil society of Nevada—an I&R state—resolved to minimize the intense controversy raging around <a href="/wiki/Abortion" title="Abortion">abortion</a>. The Nevada legislature was under pressure from <a href="/wiki/Anti-abortion" class="mw-redirect" title="Anti-abortion">anti-abortion</a> organizations to change the state's abortion law. The state's <a href="/wiki/Pro-choice" class="mw-redirect" title="Pro-choice">pro-choice</a> organizations wanted the standing law, which conformed to <i><a href="/wiki/Roe_v._Wade" title="Roe v. Wade">Roe v. Wade</a></i>, to be left as it was. The pro-choice organizations made use of a seldom-used feature in Nevada's I&R law. They petitioned for and passed a referendum on an existing state law. It was only the fifth time, since Nevada had gained citizen lawmaking in 1912, that the referendum on an existing state law had been used (Erickson, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040919193156/http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/archives/political/question.htm">Questions On The Ballot</a>). Because of the constitutional provisions defining this particular referendum, approval of the state law meant that the legislature is barred from ever amending the law. Only the people can amend such a law in what is called the "see us first" referendum provision. </p><p>This initiative process functioned as the safety valve it was designed to be. With an approving majority of over sixty percent, Nevada voters gave a degree of <a href="/wiki/Legitimacy_(political)" class="mw-redirect" title="Legitimacy (political)">legitimacy</a> to the standing law that no small number of legislators could ever invoke in such a visceral controversy. With the legislature legally taken out of the picture, and the referendum's large legitimacy recognized by both sides, the controversy quickly quieted. The legislature is free to refer proposed statutes or constitutional amendments relating to abortion to the people, but the people are now the decision-makers in this issue. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Nebraska">Nebraska</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Nebraska"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Citizens in <a href="/wiki/Nebraska" title="Nebraska">Nebraska</a>, after gaining the constitutional amendment initiative in 1912, used it to reduce their <a href="/wiki/Bicameral_legislature" class="mw-redirect" title="Bicameral legislature">bicameral legislature</a> of 133 members to a <a href="/wiki/Unicameral_legislature" class="mw-redirect" title="Unicameral legislature">unicameral legislature</a> of 43 members in 1934. Supporters aregued that starting in 1937, it reduced cost, waste, secrecy and time (no conference committee required), while at the same time making the legislature more efficient and more cooperative with the press and civil society. The success of combining direct democracy governance components with a unicameral legislature has stood the test of time.<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="General_components">General components</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: General components"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Direct democracy governance components have contributed significantly to state-level policy and law. Schmidt (1989), Zimmermann (December 1999) and others contend that these contributions have been much more successful than most of direct democracy's critics admit. </p><p>From a non-legalistic perspective, the <a href="/wiki/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World" title="Industrial Workers of the World">Industrial Workers of the World</a> pioneered the archetypal <a href="/wiki/Workplace_democracy" title="Workplace democracy">workplace democracy</a> model, the Wobbly Shop, in which the self-managing norms of grassroots democracy were applied. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Criticisms">Criticisms</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Criticisms"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Over 60% of initiative activity has occurred in Arizona, California, Colorado, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (July 2008)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> These states generally have lesser signature requirements than other states. </p><p>Professor Richard J. Ellis has warned of the negative consequences of the initiative process in hurting democracy.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In many states, signature gathering has become a niche industry in the role of politics. Proponents of initiatives, referendums, or recalls now pay individuals to collect signatures. This is required because of the sheer number of signatures required in order to qualify a measure on the ballot. The signature gatherers are usually paid by the signature and often independent contractors, which makes them not subject to minimum wage laws. To combat the growing presence of signature gatherers, some states have passed bans on paying signature gatherers by the signature, and Oregon most notably declared signature gatherers employees and enforced labor laws on the petition proponents. </p><p>Direct democracy can sometimes be used to subvert the normal <a href="/wiki/Checks_and_balances" class="mw-redirect" title="Checks and balances">checks and balances</a> of a government. For instance, a governor of a state may threaten to use an initiative to "go over the heads" of an uncooperative legislature. Similarly, a state legislator can collect signatures and place on the ballot a measure that overrules a governor's veto. Because it usually takes a two-thirds majority to overrule a governor's veto, but only a simple majority to pass an initiative, this tactic can sometimes be successful. However, proponents of direct democracy argue that the public acts as an additional check to their elected representatives' power in these cases, not a subversion. </p><p>More recently, corporations have used the initiative and referendum to force citizen votes on decisions they do not agree with. <a href="/wiki/General_Growth_Properties" class="mw-redirect" title="General Growth Properties">General Growth Properties</a> collected signatures for a referendum in <a href="/wiki/Glendale,_California" title="Glendale, California">Glendale, California</a> to stop development of a competing mall next door, developed by competitor <a href="/wiki/Caruso_Affiliated" class="mw-redirect" title="Caruso Affiliated">Caruso Affiliated</a>, in addition to standard political techniques such as <a href="/wiki/Lobbying" title="Lobbying">lobbying</a> and filing lawsuits challenging the project's <a href="/wiki/Environmental_impact_report" class="mw-redirect" title="Environmental impact report">environmental impact report</a>. Ultimately, GGP was unsuccessful at making their case to the voters, and the competing mall was built. <a href="/wiki/Wal-Mart" class="mw-redirect" title="Wal-Mart">Wal-Mart</a> has also used initiatives to bypass planning commissions and <a href="/wiki/City_council" class="mw-redirect" title="City council">city councils</a> to build Wal-Mart Supercenters. Recently, in <a href="/wiki/Inglewood,_California" title="Inglewood, California">Inglewood, California</a>, they qualified a ballot measure that described in detail the plans for a Supercenter to be built in the community. Critics decried "ballot box planning" and the inflexibility of the initiative process, which forbid local government from making any changes to the plans once they were approved by the voters. Ultimately, the initiative was defeated.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Citizen-written initiatives, like legislative laws, are occasionally subject to <a href="/wiki/Unintended_consequence" class="mw-redirect" title="Unintended consequence">unintended consequences</a>. For example, California's "<a href="/wiki/Three_strikes_law" class="mw-redirect" title="Three strikes law">Three Strikes</a>" proposition, intended for violent felons, has sent a number of persons to prison for life for included offenses as small as stealing pizza. However, proponents of Three Strikes argued that such consequences were akin to a "lifetime achievement award", since a potential third striker would have to have committed two violent and serious felonies beforehand. There have been attempts to change the law, most recently Proposition 66,<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> which failed to pass after several loopholes were exploited by opponents of Three Strikes restructuring. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Progressive_era" class="mw-redirect" title="Progressive era">Progressive era</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFJoseph_Francis_Zimmerman1999" class="citation book cs1">Joseph Francis Zimmerman (1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=y9lQ0hZQxhEC&q=new+england+town"><i>The New England Town Meeting: Democracy in Action</i></a>. Bloomsbury Academic. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780275965235" title="Special:BookSources/9780275965235"><bdi>9780275965235</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2010-11-02</span></span>. <q>The only other currently assembled voters' law-making body is the Swiss <a href="/wiki/Landsgemeinde" title="Landsgemeinde">Landsgemeinde</a> in the half-cantons of <a href="/wiki/Appenzell" title="Appenzell">Appenzell</a> <a href="/wiki/Appenzell_Innerrhoden" title="Appenzell Innerrhoden">Inner-Rhoden</a> and <a href="/wiki/Appenzell_Ausserrhoden" title="Appenzell Ausserrhoden">Out-Rhoden</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nidwalden" title="Nidwalden">Nidwalden</a>, <a href="/wiki/Obwalden" title="Obwalden">Obwalden</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/Canton_of_Glarus" title="Canton of Glarus">canton of Glarus</a>, where the traditional annual open-air meeting of voters is held to decide issues.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+New+England+Town+Meeting%3A+Democracy+in+Action&rft.pub=Bloomsbury+Academic&rft.date=1999&rft.isbn=9780275965235&rft.au=Joseph+Francis+Zimmerman&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dy9lQ0hZQxhEC%26q%3Dnew%2Bengland%2Btown&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AHistory+of+direct+democracy+in+the+United+States" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSquire2018" class="citation web cs1">Squire, Peverill (March 1, 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.vanderbilt.edu/csdi/miller-stokes/01_MillerStokes_Squire.pdf">"The Beginnings of Representation in America: The Relationship between Representatives and Constituents in the Colonial Era"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. Nashville, Tennessee: Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, Vanderbilt University<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 11,</span> 2023</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Beginnings+of+Representation+in+America%3A+The+Relationship+between+Representatives+and+Constituents+in+the+Colonial+Era&rft.place=Nashville%2C+Tennessee&rft.pub=Center+for+the+Study+of+Democratic+Institutions%2C+Vanderbilt+University&rft.date=2018-03-01&rft.aulast=Squire&rft.aufirst=Peverill&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanderbilt.edu%2Fcsdi%2Fmiller-stokes%2F01_MillerStokes_Squire.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AHistory+of+direct+democracy+in+the+United+States" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNicholson1908" class="citation journal cs1">Nicholson, S. E. (1908). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/1010546">"The Local-Option Movement"</a>. <i>The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science</i>. <b>32</b> (3): <span class="nowrap">1–</span>5. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F000271620803200301">10.1177/000271620803200301</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0002-7162">0002-7162</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1010546">1010546</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:143949590">143949590</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Annals+of+the+American+Academy+of+Political+and+Social+Science&rft.atitle=The+Local-Option+Movement&rft.volume=32&rft.issue=3&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E1-%3C%2Fspan%3E5&rft.date=1908&rft.issn=0002-7162&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A143949590%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F1010546%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1177%2F000271620803200301&rft.aulast=Nicholson&rft.aufirst=S.+E.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F1010546&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AHistory+of+direct+democracy+in+the+United+States" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">See <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/search.php?query=title%3A%28%22Direct%20legislation%20by%20the%20Citizenship%22%29">online copies</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard J. Ellis, "The Opportunist: James W. Sullivan and the Origins of the Initiative and Referendum in the United States." <i>American Political Thought</i> 11.1 (2022): 1-47.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ellis (2002) pp. 28-33.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSullivan1892" class="citation book cs1">Sullivan, James William (1892). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=vG2FAAAAMAAJ&q=direct+legislation"><i>Direct Legislation by the Citizenship Through the Initiative and Referendum</i></a>. Twnetieth Century Publishing Company.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Direct+Legislation+by+the+Citizenship+Through+the+Initiative+and+Referendum&rft.pub=Twnetieth+Century+Publishing+Company&rft.date=1892&rft.aulast=Sullivan&rft.aufirst=James+William&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DvG2FAAAAMAAJ%26q%3Ddirect%2Blegislation&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AHistory+of+direct+democracy+in+the+United+States" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=4067">"Digital History"</a>. <i>www.digitalhistory.uh.edu</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2020-06-27</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.digitalhistory.uh.edu&rft.atitle=Digital+History&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalhistory.uh.edu%2Fdisp_textbook.cfm%3FsmtID%3D3%26psid%3D4067&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AHistory+of+direct+democracy+in+the+United+States" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/state/elections/history-introduction.aspx">"State of Oregon: Blue Book - Initiative, Referendum and Recall Introduction"</a>. <i>sos.oregon.gov</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2020-06-27</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=sos.oregon.gov&rft.atitle=State+of+Oregon%3A+Blue+Book+-+Initiative%2C+Referendum+and+Recall+Introduction&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fsos.oregon.gov%2Fblue-book%2FPages%2Fstate%2Felections%2Fhistory-introduction.aspx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AHistory+of+direct+democracy+in+the+United+States" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://voiceofsandiego.org/2015/03/20/meet-the-michael-jordan-of-signature-gatherers/"><i>Meet the Michael Jordan of Signature-Gatherers</i></a>, <a href="/wiki/Voice_of_San_Diego" title="Voice of San Diego">Voice of San Diego</a>, March 20th, 2015, by Catherine Green</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.pressherald.com/2016/01/31/campaigns-turning-to-paid-signature-gatherers/"><i>Campaigns turning to paid signature gatherers</i></a>, <a href="/wiki/Portland_Press_Herald" title="Portland Press Herald">Portland Press Herald</a>, January 31st 2016, by Steven Miller</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://alaskapublic.org/2021/04/09/unusual-ballots-held-up-tabulating-on-anchorages-election-night/"><i>Extra marks on ballots held up tabulating on Anchorage’s Election Night</i></a>, <a href="/wiki/Alaska_Public_Media" title="Alaska Public Media">Alaska Public Media</a>, April 9th 2021, by Kavitha George</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qw9nuuN6oI&t=29s"><i>Voices from the Global Forum: Arenza Thigpen Jr - USA</i></a>, Democracy Policy Network, March 29th 2019</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/content/news/Alaskan-382588011.html"><i>Alaskans rally to protect</i></a>, <a href="/wiki/KAUU" title="KAUU">KAUU</a>, June 11th 2016, Blake Essig</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2017/10/20/the-ralph-nader-effect-alaska-drops-fight-against-nonresident-signature-gatherers/"><i>The Ralph Nader effect: Alaska drops fight against nonresident signature gatherers</i></a>, <a href="/wiki/Anchorage_Daily_News" title="Anchorage Daily News">Anchorage Daily News</a>, October 20th 2017, by Nathaniel Herz</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://alaskapublic.org/2021/04/09/unusual-ballots-held-up-tabulating-on-anchorages-election-night/"><i>Extra marks on ballots held up tabulating on Anchorage’s Election Night</i></a>, <a href="/wiki/Alaska_Public_Media" title="Alaska Public Media">Alaska Public Media</a>, April 9th 2021, by Kavitha George</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://alaskapublic.org/2022/04/05/the-anchorage-municipal-election-is-tuesday-heres-what-to-know/"><i>The Anchorage municipal election is today. Here’s what to know.</i></a>, <a href="/wiki/PBS" title="PBS">PBS</a>, April 5th 2022, by Wesley Early</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">[<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2007/03/20/sarasota-city-voters-to-decide-on-livable-wage-in-november/28536137007/">https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2007/03/20/sarasota-city-voters-to-decide-on-livable-wage-in-november/28536137007/</a> <i>Sarasota city voters to decide on 'livable wage' in November</i>, Herald-Tribune, March 20th 2007, Carol E. Lee</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://sarasota.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=bbd24452d18f08eb1ec18f8c88f1566d.pdf&view=1">Arenze thanked the Commission for placing a ballot measure on the ballot: MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SARASOTA CITY COMMISSION MEETING OF APRIL 4, 2007</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ktoo.org/2014/11/27/anchorage-residents-demonstrate-solidarity-ferguson-mo/"><i>Anchorage residents demonstrate in solidarity with Ferguson, MO</i></a> KTOO, November 27th 2014, by Anne Hillman</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2018/05/07/heres-california-democracy-like-fries/ideas/connecting-california/">HERE’S YOUR CALIFORNIA DEMOCRACY. WOULD YOU LIKE FRIES WITH THAT?</a>, Zocalo Public Square, May 7th 2018, by Joe Mathews</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.news-press.com/story/news/local/fort-myers/2015/10/29/fort-myers-junkyard-vote-have-consequences/74803850/">https://www.news-press.com/story/news/local/fort-myers/2015/10/29/fort-myers-junkyard-vote-have-consequences/74803850/</a> <i>Fort Myers junkyard vote will have consequences</i>], News-Press, October 29th 2015, by Cody Dulaney</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.intomore.com/impact/canvassers-pushing-alaska-antitrans-measure-didnt-say-it-was-about-trans-people/"><i>Canvassers Pushing Alaska Anti-Trans Measure Didn’t Say It Was About Trans People</i></a>, Into More, October 10th 2018, by Kate Sosin and Nico Lang</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.archives.gov/files/electoral-college/2016/ascertainment-alaska.pdf">Arenza in 2016 listed on "State of Alaska: Certificate of ascertainment of appointment for electors of President and Vice President of The United States"</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.elections.alaska.gov/doc/forms/H56.pdf">Arenza listed in 2016 & 2020 on "State of Alaska: Division of Elections: History of Electors: Electors for President of the United States"</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.archives.gov/files/electoral-college/2020/ascertainment-alaska.pdf">Arenza listed in 2020 on "State of Alaska: Certificate of ascertainment of appointment for electors of President and Vice President of The United States"</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Nebraska Legislature Online, 2004, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040811164634/http://www.unicam.state.ne.us/learning/history.htm">The History of Nebraska's Unicameral Legislature</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard J. Ellis, <i>Democratic delusions: The initiative process in America</i> (University Press of Kansas, 2002).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/may/02/walmarts_strategies_unwelcome/">"Wal-Mart's strategies unwelcome in cities"</a>. <i>www2.ljworld.com</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-07-08</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www2.ljworld.com&rft.atitle=Wal-Mart%27s+strategies+unwelcome+in+cities&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.ljworld.com%2Fnews%2F2004%2Fmay%2F02%2Fwalmarts_strategies_unwelcome%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AHistory+of+direct+democracy+in+the+United+States" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-30">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/List_of_California_ballot_propositions_2000-present" class="mw-redirect" title="List of California ballot propositions 2000-present">List of California ballot propositions 2000-present</a></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Boehmke, Frederick J. "The initiative process and the dynamics of state interest group populations." <i>State Politics & Policy Quarterly</i> 8.4 (2008): 362-383. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://myweb.uiowa.edu/fboehmke/Papers/boehmke2008sppq.pdf">online</a></li> <li>Cronin, Thomas E. (1989). <i>Direct Democracy: The Politics Of Initiative, Referendum, And Recall.</i> Harvard University Press. Despite the author's bias against direct democracy, the book is a good read for the issues, personalities, and organizations in the Progressive period of the Reform Era.</li> <li>De Figueiredo, John M., Chang Ho Ji, and Thad Kousser. "Financing direct democracy: Revisiting the research on campaign spending and citizen initiatives." <i>Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization</i> 27.3 (2011): 485-514. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w16356/w16356.pdf">online</a></li> <li>Dinan, John. "State Constitutional Initiative Processes and Governance in the Twenty-First Century." <i>Chapman Law Review</i> 19 (2016): 61+ <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1363&context=chapman-law-review">online</a>.</li> <li>Donovan, Todd. "Referendums and initiatives in North America." in <i>Referendums around the World</i> (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014) pp. 122–161. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Todd-Donovan-2/publication/304875900_Referendums_and_Initiatives_in_North_America/links/58b5f92492851c471d43cbd5/Referendums-and-Initiatives-in-North-America.pdf">online</a></li> <li>Ellis, Richard J. "The Opportunist: James W. Sullivan and the Origins of the Initiative and Referendum in the United States." <i>American Political Thought</i> 11.1 (2022): 1-47.</li> <li>Ellis, Richard J. (2002) <i>Democratic delusions: The initiative process in America</i> (University Press of Kansas, 2002). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=EVfuAAAAMAAJ&dq=ellis+delusions&pg=PP13">online</a></li> <li>Erickson, Robert. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040919193156/http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/archives/political/question.htm">Political History Of Nevada — Questions On The Ballot</a>.</li> <li>Farley, Amy, Matthew Gaertner, and Michele Moses. "Democracy under fire: voter confusion and influences in Colorado's anti-affirmative action initiative." <i>Harvard Educational Review</i> 83.3 (2013): 432-462. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.academia.edu/download/39253856/0046352e4469baba3f000000.pdf">online</a></li> <li>Goodwyn, Lawrence (1976). <i>Democratic Promise: The Populist Moment In America.</i> Oxford University Press.</li> <li>Magleby, David B. (1984). <i>Direct Legislation: Voting On Ballot Propositions In The United States.</i> Johns Hopkins University Press.</li> <li>Miller, Joshua I. (1991) <i>The Rise And Fall Of Democracy In Early America, 1630--1789: The Legacy For Contemporary Politics</i> Pennsylvania State University Press.</li> <li>Moses, Michele S., and Lauren P. Saenz. "When the majority rules: Ballot initiatives, race-conscious education policy, and the public good." <i>Review of Research in Education</i> 36.1 (2012): 113-138. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.academia.edu/download/83610299/When_the_Majority_Rules_Ballot_Initiativ20220409-28806-304igy.pdf">online</a></li> <li>Natelson, Robert G. (1999), <i>Are Initiatives And Referenda Contrary To The Constitution's "Republican Form Of Government"?</i></li> <li>Nebraska Legislature Online (2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040811164634/http://www.unicam.state.ne.us/learning/history.htm">The History of Nebraska's Unicameral Legislature</a>.</li> <li>Rogers, Todd, and Joel Middleton. "Are ballot initiative outcomes influenced by the campaigns of independent groups? A precinct-randomized field experiment showing that they are." <i>Political Behavior</i> 37.3 (2015): 567-593. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/9830357/RWP12-049_Rogers.pdf?sequence=1&buffer_share=d9e6b">download</a></li> <li>Schmidt, David D. (1989). <i>Citizen Lawmakers: The Ballot Initiative Revolution</i>. Temple University Press.</li> <li>Smith, Daniel A., and Dustin Fridkin. "Delegating direct democracy: Interparty legislative competition and the adoption of the initiative in the American states." <i>American Political Science Review</i> 102.3 (2008): 333-350. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniel-Smith-22/publication/228613101_Delegating_Direct_Democracy_Interparty_Legislative_Competition_and_the_Adoption_of_the_Initiative_in_the_American_States/links/0c960532c685b47b9f000000/Delegating-Direct-Democracy-Interparty-Legislative-Competition-and-the-Adoption-of-the-Initiative-in-the-American-States.pdf">online</a></li> <li>Tolbert, Caroline J., and Daniel A. Smith. "The educative effects of ballot initiatives on voter turnout." <i>American Politics Research</i> 33.2 (2005): 283-309. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniel-Smith-22/publication/43438940_The_Educative_Effects_of_Ballot_Initiatives_on_Voter_Turnout/links/0c960532c68647d7c8000000/The-Educative-Effects-of-Ballot-Initiatives-on-Voter-Turnout.pdf">online</a></li> <li>Waters, M. Dane (2001). <i>The Battle Over Citizen Lawmaking.</i> Carolina Academic Press.</li> <li>Willard, Joseph (1858). <i>Willard Memoir; or Life And Times Of Major Simon Willard.</i> Phillips, Sampson, And Company (Boston). Simon Willard was a co-founder of Concord, Massachusetts, in 1635. From the town's first winter, 1635–1636, its representative government used referendums to decide political issues.</li> <li>Zimmerman, Joseph F. (March 1999). <i>The New England Town Meeting: Democracy In Action.</i> Praeger Publishers.</li> <li>Zimmerman, Joseph F. (December 1999). <i>The Initiative: Citizen Law-Making.</i> Praeger Publishers.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.iandrinstitute.org/">Initiative and Referendum Institute</a>, <a href="/wiki/University_of_Southern_California" title="University of Southern California">University of Southern California</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://documentaryheaven.com/its-time-we-talked/">It's Time We Talked</a>, documentary about direct democracy in the United States</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qw9nuuN6oI">Voices from the Global Forum: Arenza Thigpen Jr - USA</a>, 2018</li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow{padding:0.25em 1em;line-height:1.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group{white-space:nowrap;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{background-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list{line-height:1.5em;border-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list-with-group{text-align:left;border-left-width:2px;border-left-style:solid}.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-group,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-image,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-list{border-top:2px solid #fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title{background-color:#ccf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-title{background-color:#ddf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-abovebelow{background-color:#e6e6ff}.mw-parser-output .navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Voting_rights_in_the_United_States127" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Template:Voting rights in the United States"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Template talk:Voting rights in the United States"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Voting rights in the United States"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Voting_rights_in_the_United_States127" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Voting rights in the United States">Voting rights in the United States</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Constitutional<br />provisions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Article One of the United States Constitution">Article I</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Clause_1:_Composition_and_election_of_Members" title="Article One of the United States Constitution">House Electors Qualifications Clause</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Clause_1:_Time,_place,_and_manner_of_holding" title="Article One of the United States Constitution">Congressional Elections Clause</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="First Amendment to the United States Constitution">1st Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">14th Amendment</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Equal_Protection_Clause" title="Equal Protection Clause">Equal Protection Clause</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Privileges_or_Immunities_Clause" title="Privileges or Immunities Clause">Privileges or Immunities Clause</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fifteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">15th Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Seventeenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">17th Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nineteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">19th Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Twenty-third_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution">23rd Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Twenty-fourth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution">24th Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Twenty-sixth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution">26th Amendment</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Federal laws<br />and agencies</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Justice" title="United States Department of Justice">U.S. Department of Justice</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Enforcement_Acts" title="Enforcement Acts">Enforcement Acts</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Enforcement_Act_of_1870" title="Enforcement Act of 1870">Enforcement Act of 1870</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Enforcement_Act" title="Second Enforcement Act">Second Enforcement Act</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan_Act" title="Ku Klux Klan Act">Ku Klux Klan Act</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1957" title="Civil Rights Act of 1957">Civil Rights Act of 1957</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Commission_on_Civil_Rights" title="United States Commission on Civil Rights">U.S. Commission on Civil Rights</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Justice_Civil_Rights_Division" title="United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division">U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1960" title="Civil Rights Act of 1960">Civil Rights Act of 1960</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964" title="Civil Rights Act of 1964">Title I of the Civil Rights Act of 1964</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965" title="Voting Rights Act of 1965">Voting Rights Act of 1965</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Amendments_to_the_Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965" title="Amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965">amendments</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_jurisdictions_subject_to_the_special_provisions_of_the_Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965" title="List of jurisdictions subject to the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965">covered jurisdictions</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting_Accessibility_for_the_Elderly_and_Handicapped_Act" title="Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act">Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Uniformed_and_Overseas_Citizens_Absentee_Voting_Act" title="Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act">Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Federal_Voting_Assistance_Program" title="Federal Voting Assistance Program">Federal Voting Assistance Program</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Military_and_Overseas_Voter_Empowerment_Act" title="Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act">Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Voter_Registration_Act_of_1993" title="National Voter Registration Act of 1993">National Voter Registration Act of 1993</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Illegal_Immigration_Reform_and_Immigrant_Responsibility_Act_of_1996" title="Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996">Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Help_America_Vote_Act" title="Help America Vote Act">Help America Vote Act of 2002</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Election_Assistance_Commission" title="Election Assistance Commission">Election Assistance Commission</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">State laws</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Voter access</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Absentee_ballot" title="Absentee ballot">Absentee ballot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Early_voting" title="Early voting">Early voting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Initiatives_and_referendums_in_the_United_States" title="Initiatives and referendums in the United States">Initiatives and referendums</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Postal_voting_in_the_United_States" title="Postal voting in the United States">Postal voting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Provisional_ballot" title="Provisional ballot">Provisional ballot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Recall_election" title="Recall election">Recall election</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_registration_in_the_United_States" title="Voter registration in the United States">Voter registration in the U.S.</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting_in_space#United_States" title="Voting in space">Voting in space</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Vote denial</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Electoral_fraud_in_the_United_States" title="Electoral fraud in the United States">Electoral fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Grandfather_clause" title="Grandfather clause">Grandfather clause</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Literacy_test" title="Literacy test">Literacy test</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Poll_taxes_in_the_United_States" title="Poll taxes in the United States">Poll tax</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_caging" title="Voter caging">Voter caging</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_identification_laws_in_the_United_States" title="Voter identification laws in the United States">Voter ID laws</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_United_States" title="Voter suppression in the United States">Voter suppression</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Vote dilution</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/First-past-the-post_voting" title="First-past-the-post voting">First-past-the-post voting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gerrymandering_in_the_United_States" title="Gerrymandering in the United States">Gerrymandering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Multiple_non-transferable_vote" class="mw-redirect" title="Multiple non-transferable vote">Multiple non-transferable vote</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/One_man,_one_vote" title="One man, one vote">One man, one vote</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">By group</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Universal_manhood_suffrage" title="Universal manhood suffrage">Men</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States" title="Women's suffrage in the United States">Women</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement_in_the_United_States" title="Felony disenfranchisement in the United States">Felons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Non-citizen_suffrage_in_the_United_States" title="Non-citizen suffrage in the United States">Foreigners</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Transgender_disenfranchisement_in_the_United_States" title="Transgender disenfranchisement in the United States">Transgender people</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Youth_suffrage#United_States" title="Youth suffrage">Young adults</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Black_suffrage_in_the_United_States" title="Black suffrage in the United States">African Americans</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Native_American_voting_rights" class="mw-redirect" title="Native American voting rights">Native Americans</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Elections_in_American_Samoa" title="Elections in American Samoa">American Samoa residents</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/District_of_Columbia_federal_voting_rights" title="District of Columbia federal voting rights">District of Columbia residents</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting_in_Guam" title="Voting in Guam">Guam residents</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Northern_Mariana_Islands%27_at-large_congressional_district" title="Northern Mariana Islands' at-large congressional district">Northern Mariana Islands residents</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Federal_voting_rights_in_Puerto_Rico" title="Federal voting rights in Puerto Rico">Puerto Rico residents</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Virgin_Islands%27_at-large_congressional_district" title="United States Virgin Islands' at-large congressional district">United States Virgin Islands residents</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">History</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Timeline of voting rights in the United States">Timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Disfranchisement_after_the_Reconstruction_era" title="Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction era">Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction era</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States" title="Timeline of women's suffrage in the United States">Timeline of women's suffrage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Suffrage_Hikes" title="Suffrage Hikes">Suffrage Hikes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Woman_Suffrage_Procession" title="Woman Suffrage Procession">Woman Suffrage Procession</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Silent_Sentinels" title="Silent Sentinels">Silent Sentinels</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_suffragists_and_suffragettes#American_(United_States)" title="List of suffragists and suffragettes">U.S. suffragists</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_suffragists_and_suffragettes#Major_suffrage_publications" title="List of suffragists and suffragettes">Publications</a></li></ul></li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Give_Us_the_Ballot" title="Give Us the Ballot">Give Us the Ballot</a>"</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Freedom_Summer" title="Freedom Summer">Freedom Summer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches" title="Selma to Montgomery marches">Selma to Montgomery marches</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Women%27s_poll_tax_repeal_movement" title="Women's poll tax repeal movement">Women's poll tax repeal movement</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">History of direct democracy</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ballot_access" title="Ballot access">Ballot access</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Campaign_finance_in_the_United_States" title="Campaign finance in the United States">Campaign finance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Citizenship_of_the_United_States" title="Citizenship of the United States">Citizenship</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Indian_Citizenship_Act" title="Indian Citizenship Act">Native Americans</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Democratic_backsliding_in_the_United_States" title="Democratic backsliding in the United States">Democratic backsliding in the United States</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Disfranchisement" title="Disfranchisement">Disfranchisement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Election" title="Election">Election</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Election_law" title="Election law">Election law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Elections_in_the_United_States" title="Elections in the United States">Elections in the U.S.</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Electoral_College" title="United States Electoral College">Electoral College</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Electoral_reform_in_the_United_States" title="Electoral reform in the United States">Electoral reform</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Electoral_system" title="Electoral system">Electoral system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ranked-choice_voting_in_the_United_States" title="Ranked-choice voting in the United States">Ranked-choice voting in the U.S.</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Voting_Rights_Museum" title="National Voting Rights Museum">National Voting Rights Museum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Redistricting" title="Redistricting">Redistricting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Secret_ballot" title="Secret ballot">Secret ballot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Suffrage" title="Suffrage">Suffrage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_registration" title="Voter registration">Voter registration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting" title="Voting">Voting</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?useformat=desktop&type=1x1&usesul3=0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved 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