The initiative process needs to be fixed
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The Daily: The ballot initiative has long been one of the key instruments by which residents of Washington state can write laws directly. Intended to allow residents to bypass a legislature corrupted by money and influence, the process is increasingly being used by the very special interests that the ballot initiative was supposed to prevent. Without significant reform, legislating by petition will lead to numerous problems resulting in a dysfunctional government. Washington state’s ballot initiative process has some serious flaws.
The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, a Washington-based advocacy group for ballot initiatives, recently released a report grading the initiative process of 24 states that have one. Washington state received an “F.” They identified problems, such as weak oversight and enforcement of petition gatherers as reasons for the low score. California, another state that received an “F,” has long been known as initiative-friendly territory.
However, due to the recent proliferation of propositions and government dysfunction, the Golden State has been looking into reforming its ballot initiative laws. The Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) in Los Angeles has examined California’s initiative process and identified some serious problems that have relevance to Washington state.
To read more, click here.
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