Indirect initiated state statute

Ballot Basics
Amendments
Citizen initiatives Indirect initiative Legislative referrals
Statutes
Citizen initiatives Indirect initiative Legislative referrals
Advisory question
Automatic ballot referral
Bond issue
Combined
Commission referred
Recall
Veto referendum

An indirect initiated state statute has the following characteristics:

(1) It is citizen-initiated, through the collection of signatures.
(2) Once the signatures are collected, the proposed law is sent to that state's state legislature.
(3) Depending on the specific laws in that state, the state legislature typically can either choose:

• Not to act on the measure at all, in which case the measure is placed on the state's statewide ballot and the voters decide its fate.
• To pass the law as written by the group that initiated it.
• To amend and then pass the law.
• To come up with a law of its own addressing the same subject as the citizen-initiated measure and place that law on the ballot along with the citizen-initiated measure, allowing the state's voters to choose the version they prefer.

States with indirect initiated statutes

These states have some version of the indirect initiative:

• Alaska. In Alaska, the timing of the initiative cycle is set up to provide the legislature with an opportunity to consider initiated measures, and it may act to adopt them; however, it need not consider them at all.
• Maine. Indirect only.
• Massachusetts. Indirect only.
• Michigan. Indirect only. In Michigan, statutes are indirect but constitutional amendments are direct.
• Nevada. Indirect only. As with Michigan, in Nevada initiated statutes are indirect but initiated constitutional amendments are direct. Amendments were once indirect also, but this was changed in 1962 when a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment was approved that abolished the indirect process for constitutional amendments while adding the requirement that initiated constitutional amendments be approved by a majority vote in two successive elections.
• Ohio. Indirect only.
• Utah. Utah allows direct and indirect initiated state statutes.
• Washington. Washington allows direct and indirect initiated state statutes. Those that are direct are identified as Initiatives to the People, while those that are indirect are identified as Initiatives to the Legislature.
• Wyoming. In Wyoming, the timing of the initiative cycle is set up to provide the legislature with an opportunity to consider initiated measures, and it may act to adopt them; however, it need not consider them at all.

The direct democracy process in California enabled the use of the indirect initiated state statute process from 1911 through 1966.

Alternative proposals

In Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada and Washington, state legislatures are granted the right to place an alternative proposition on the ballot alongside an initiative they have chosen not to adopt.

Other types of ballot measures

Other types of ballot measures that appear in multiple states are:

advisory question automatic ballot referral legislatively-referred bond question combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute

commission referral indirect initiated constitutional amendment indirect initiated state statute initiated constitutional amendment

initiated state statute legislatively-referred constitutional amendment legislatively-referred state statute veto referendum

Some related terms:

ballot measure Constitutional convention

Indirect initiative Legislative referral

See also

• Forms of direct democracy in the American states