Electoral Supply and Demand: Direct Democracy Campaigns, Political Interest, and Participation

Abstract

In comparative terms, one of the most distinctive aspects of American politics involves the use of state and local ballot propositions to resolve controversial issues. The constitutions of 24 states and hundreds of municipalities permit votes on proposed laws that reach the ballot when advocates submit the signatures of a required number of citizens. The 2004 election is remembered in part for the massive public and media attention devoted to ballot measures—both initiatives and legislative referenda—banning gay marriage in 13 states. Over the last three decades, the initiative process has allowed major policy decisions in areas such as gambling, affirmative action, the environment, the minimum wage, and tax and spending limitations. Accordingly, ballot initiatives have attracted an increasing amount of attention from political scientists (Gerber 1999; Matsusaka 2004; Boehmke 2005; Nicholson 2005; Bowler and Donovan 1998; Bowler, Donovan, and Tolbert 1998; Magleby 1984).