Those of you who have taken US History courses may recall how the Progressive Era saw the rise of the politics of direct action, including initiative, referendum, and recall. These three mechanisms exist to allow the people to democratically decide on specific policy issues when they feel that their elected representatives have fallen short. All three have implications and impacts on electoral democracy; let’s take a closer look!

• Initiative is the process by which the electorate signs a petition to get a specific law on the ballot. So long as all the signatures on the petition are valid, the law can be voted on and passed. If the proposed law fails to be passed by the legislature, it goes up for a vote by the public. 
• Referendum is the process by which certain government actions are put on the ballot for public approval. When you go to the polls, you vote on a referendum by either selecting yes or no. 
• Finally, recall is the process by which voters can remove a state or local government official from office before the end of their term if the public is not satisfied with their governance. 

At first glance, it would appear that these three mechanisms would all increase electoral democracy by putting more power in the hands of the people, but is that always the case? Certainly, at the local level initiatives and referendums can prove useful in allowing citizens to pass legislation that will benefit their communities; for example, voters in a small town could use initiative to propose more funding for community projects such as parks, libraries, and recreation centers.

At the state level, however, there are many barriers for grassroots organizations to successfully bring about change via initiative. Environmental advocacy groups, for example, often lack the organizational resources and funds to get the signatures needed to qualify. On the other hand, large interest groups (that more often than not represent big corporations rather than the general public) have the money necessary to put policies on the ballot regardless of popular support. Conversely, referenda gives the general public the opportunity to vote “no” on legislation they do not agree with regardless of the support it has from interest groups.  Ultimately, in order for initiative to be a democratic process at the state level, changes must be made to make it easier for popularly supported organizations to bring about proposals. One such solution could be to extend the amount of time groups have to collect signatures (Green Party CA).

Finally, recall is a controversial process because it can be viewed as democratic in some instances but not in others. On the one hand, it provides the public with a grassroots means to remove officials who are not representing their interests. On the other hand, some may view the removal of democratically elected officials as oppressive. 

Ultimately, initiative, referendum, and recall can be used for both democratic and undemocratic ends. Therefore, there should be reforms that ensure they are being utilized by the public rather than interest groups that represent corporations. Additionally, it is important for voters to know what these three terms mean so that they can make their voices heard on election day. 

Sources:

American Politics Today, William T. Bianco and David T. Canon

https://www.cagreens.org/platform/initiatives-referenda-recall

Photo courtesy of ElectionBuddy.com