History of direct democracy in Tennessee

The Progressives and labor unions never won enactment of statewide initiative and referendum rights in Tennessee, and had to settle for a 1913 law granting such rights to residents of a few municipalities. In the 2002 election cycle, one of the most controversial issues in Tennessee history was voted on through a statewide referendum. By a large majority, the citizens adopted the creation of a statewide lottery system.

Acknowledgments

This article is significantly based on an article published by the Initiative & Referendum Institute, and is used with their permission. Their article, in turn, relies on research in David Schmidt's book, Citizen Lawmakers: The Ballot Initiative Revolution.