Initiatives v Oligarchy

Our Founders' Warning: “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.” (Thomas Jefferson)

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Which States Have Initiatives?

Which states have initiatives: twenty-four US States permit States Initiatives. Which states have initiatives

Which states have initiatives: twenty-four US States permit States Initiatives. They are 70% of States needed to call for an Article V Convention; and 63% of States needed to ratify a Constitutional Amendment.

  1. Sixteen US States allow directly initiated (i.e., independent of the State Legislature) State constitutional amendments: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Dakota. They are the most important to initiate this Solution because no government authority (State or Federal) can override the People’s wishes.
  2. Two States allow indirect initiated (i.e., the Legislature can add an adjacent alternatively worded Initiative) State constitutional amendment: Massachusetts and Mississippi.
  3. Six States allow legislatively referred State statutes (i.e., the Legislature can change the Initiative’s wording): Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Each State has its own Initiative definitions, so the summary above is a simplified picture; for more details see references Courtesy © Wikipedia, Initiative & Referendum Institute at USC, and National Conference of State Legislators.