Ballot Initiative Research Paper
Victor Lancour
Professor Larry Anderson
Issues and Crises in American Politics
15 November 2015
The Ballot Initiative: The Ultimate Tool for Citizens The United States is considered a representative democracy. This means the citizens elect representatives whom they believe will make the best decisions for the nation, as well as listen to their views and opinions about how the country should be run. This form of democracy is often considered to be the most effective and efficient form of democracy, but it sometimes has the tendency to limit the voices of citizens. Because of its limiting effects, this is why certain states have implemented three powerful tools of direct democracy. These tools are the recall, the referendum, and one of the most …show more content…
Corporations with unimaginable amounts of money had corrupted and controlled the government, which caused uproar for reform. According to the Initiative and Referendum Institute in South Carolina, the only way that these proposed reforms could make it past the state legislatures, who had also succumbed to the power of corporations, was to implement the ballot initiative (Waters 2). The ballot initiative would allow citizens to create their own laws and constitutional amendments to dismantle the overwhelming control corporations had over the government. This was the purpose of the ballot initiative: to give the people of this country the power to fix issues when the government would not. The first state to officially add the ballot initiative as a statewide device was South Dakota in 1898. By the 1920’s, 23 other states had followed South Dakota’s lead and amended the ballot initiative as part of their state constitutions. The ballot initiative was vital in the process of shaping the United States. Without the initiative, women would not have the rights that they do today. The ballot initiative enhanced the women’s suffrage movement and because of its effects in the states that utilized the initiative, the nation as a whole granted women equal rights. The primary election was also an outcome of the ballot initiative. In 1904, Oregon became the first state to ever have a voter initiative and that initiative was to enforce a primary nominating election before the actual election could take place. Since Oregon broke the initiative barrier in 1904, there have
Professor Larry Anderson
Issues and Crises in American Politics
15 November 2015
The Ballot Initiative: The Ultimate Tool for Citizens The United States is considered a representative democracy. This means the citizens elect representatives whom they believe will make the best decisions for the nation, as well as listen to their views and opinions about how the country should be run. This form of democracy is often considered to be the most effective and efficient form of democracy, but it sometimes has the tendency to limit the voices of citizens. Because of its limiting effects, this is why certain states have implemented three powerful tools of direct democracy. These tools are the recall, the referendum, and one of the most …show more content…
Corporations with unimaginable amounts of money had corrupted and controlled the government, which caused uproar for reform. According to the Initiative and Referendum Institute in South Carolina, the only way that these proposed reforms could make it past the state legislatures, who had also succumbed to the power of corporations, was to implement the ballot initiative (Waters 2). The ballot initiative would allow citizens to create their own laws and constitutional amendments to dismantle the overwhelming control corporations had over the government. This was the purpose of the ballot initiative: to give the people of this country the power to fix issues when the government would not. The first state to officially add the ballot initiative as a statewide device was South Dakota in 1898. By the 1920’s, 23 other states had followed South Dakota’s lead and amended the ballot initiative as part of their state constitutions. The ballot initiative was vital in the process of shaping the United States. Without the initiative, women would not have the rights that they do today. The ballot initiative enhanced the women’s suffrage movement and because of its effects in the states that utilized the initiative, the nation as a whole granted women equal rights. The primary election was also an outcome of the ballot initiative. In 1904, Oregon became the first state to ever have a voter initiative and that initiative was to enforce a primary nominating election before the actual election could take place. Since Oregon broke the initiative barrier in 1904, there have