A. Allows modification of initiatives after 25% of the signature requirements are gathered.
B. Lets initiative sponsors negotiate with the Legislature to get them to pass a version of the initiative, before it goes to the voters. This is now working.
C. Continually updates online records of major donations.
3. The best reform would be for States and the Federal government to let people sign initiative petitions on their websites, just as 25 states now allow online voter registration and change of address. This would save the government a great deal of time and money comparing physical signatures - which could pay for Citizen Initiative Review.
More importantly, this would open up the process to initiative sponsors without a lot of money to hire paid petitioners. The LA Times just came out in support.
In Colorado, where signature requirements are a little easier than most states, we have a stellar ballot initiative record including the Nation's first renewable energy requirements for utilities (Initiative 37) the strongest Ethics in Government law (Amendment 41) and the first legal marijuana (Amendment 64)
Online petitioning would also encourage people to read more of the initiative text online, and lessen harassment for signatures.
4. If online petitioning results in an increase in the number of initiatives qualifying for the ballot, the solution is Swiss: They vote on many local, regional and national initiatives, scheduling up to 4 votes per year.
5. There is also the potential for the Internet to host deliberations about ballot initiatives open to all, or limited to residents of that polity.
6. Public campaign financing would be good for initiatives and referenda as well as for representatives.
NATIONAL BALLOT INITIATIVES REQUIRE A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT, RECENTLY AN IMPOSSIBILITY. BUT IN THIS UNUSUAL ELECTION YEAR, WHEN BOTH REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC PARTIES ARE COMING APART, HERE ARE WAYS I CAN SEE IT HAPPENING:1. Bernie wins in a landslide and sweeps in an advanced enough Congress to amend the Constitution. You can see "Sanders Democrats" nationwide to support at sandersdemocrats.com
2. The people could amend it themselves at a Constitutional Convention as described in Article V. My friend Dan Marks, who got Congress to finally start counting State requests for a convention, thinks national ballot initiatives should be a top priority.
3. Sen. Gravel discovered that since "The People are Sovereign," we always had the right to amend our constitution, ourselves, without needing a convention. The Constitution says WE "ordained and established" it. George Washington said, "The basis of our political institutions is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government." Yale's Akil Ammar, perhaps the leading living constitutional scholar, agrees with this. See the first paragraphs here for more and a link to his legal paper.
This is quite a paradox. It means we always had the right to direct democracy, Congress has propagandized us for over a century to make us forget we're in charge.
All real representatives should want direct democracy, but Sanders sounds like the person to do it. Recently he's talked about Vermont town meetings and has been using the hashtag #ByThePeople. That's how the country started, and that's how we can get it back and keep it on track. Please share this article!
"What government is best? That which teaches us to govern ourselves." -Goethe
Evan Ravitz likes a challenge. He was a tightrope artist for 20 years, and guides backpackers in extreme terrain in Mexico's Copper Canyon. His illustrated personal journey to promoting direct democracy is here.
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