Word: balloters
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...growing business to provide medicinal marijuana to patients in need. The legal pot conundrum is hardly a new debate in California, but what's notable here is that proponents of the measure have decided to bypass the local representatives by trying to get it on the city ballot in November. That's just what voters need - another referendum passed down by bureaucrats who are too irresolute to do their jobs...
...founders' intent gets short-circuited in the voting booth in two ways. One is through a referendum, where an oftentimes controversial measure, like a tax increase or financing for a new football stadium (or, in many cases, both), is put on the ballot by the state legislature. The second is an initiative sponsored by voters themselves, courtesy of a grassroots movement that has gathered enough signatures to land the item on the ballot...
...When it comes to initiatives, Western states lead the way. California, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, North Dakota and Washington are responsible for 60 percent of ballot initiatives that have appeared over the last decade. The trend seems to be caused by a combination of the West's willingness to experiment and a high concentration of libertarians who distrust elected officials. In the past decade, Oregon voters have seen an average of 12 initiatives on each ballot they've cast...
...muddy the legislative waters. Case in point: In 1998, a wealthy, connected Republican named Bill Sizemore ran for Oregon governor. He only got 30% of the vote, the lowest percentage for a major party candidate in the state in years. Despite the voters' rejection, Sizemore was back on the ballot in 2000. Not as a candidate, but in the form of six ballot proposals he sponsored. He couldn't get elected, but he could use his considerable wealth and political connections to get his agenda considered...
...different; instead of professional politicians debating, voters are deluged by constant and contradictory campaign ads until they're not sure if a proposal is common sense or the work of the devil. And in government, politicians can make compromises. Voters only get to say yes or no on ballot initiatives...