Initiative and referendum
In the U.S., the terms initiative and referendum refer to processes that allow citizens of states to vote on particular pieces of legislation.
- The initiative process allows citizens to propose a new statute or constitutional amendment.
- The referendum process allows citizens to refer a law that passed the legislature to the ballot for voters to decide whether to uphold or repeal the law.
In 26 states, a statewide initiative and/or referendum process is available to citizens. Some states that lack statewide initiatives and referendums allow for initiatives and referendums in local jurisdictions. There is no federal initiative and referendum process in the U.S.
States with initiative and referendum
The following 26 states have initiative and/or veto referendum processes at the statewide level. Washington, D.C. also has an initiative and referendum process at the districtwide level.
Types of ballot initiatives
The types of ballot initiatives at the state level are:
- Initiated state statute
- Indirect initiated state statute
- Indirect initiative amendment
- Indirect initiated constitutional amendment
- Combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute
- Veto referendum
In addition to citizen-initiated ballot measures, there are several types of ballot measures, including automatic ballot referrals, bond issues, commission-referred constitutional amendments, constitutional convention questions, legislatively referred state statutes, and legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
See also
- Forms of direct democracy in the American states
- States with initiative or referendum
- States without initiative or referendum
- Laws governing ballot measures
Footnotes
