Initiatives and referendums
are one of this country's forms of direct democracy. There is no national
initiative or referendum process in the United States, but they are allowed at the state and local levels.
An initiative allows citizens to propose laws, by petition, to be placed on the
ballot. A referendum allows citizens to reject laws or ordinances proposed by
the state legislature or city council. The initiative process is used much more
frequently than the referendum process and is considered by many the more
important and powerful of the two processes.
Twenty four states have some form of
initiative process and 49 states allow referenda. Hundreds of cities and
counties have adopted Initiative and Popular Referendum including Washington, DC; New York City and Los
Angeles, California.
After decades of declining use, ballot
measures began to appear with greater frequency in the early 1970s, perhaps
spurred by 60s activism, and their use has steadily increased since then. Some
of the most popular issues for ballot initiatives have been tax relief, zoning,
environmental policy, and protesting federal military policy and foreign
regimes.