Back مبادرة Arabic Iniciativa popular AST Iniciativa legislativa popular Catalan Lidová iniciativa Czech Volksinitiative (Deutschland) German Λαϊκή νομοθετική πρωτοβουλία Greek Popoliniciato Esperanto Iniciativa legislativa popular Spanish پیشگامی شهروندان Persian Kansalaisaloite Finnish
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A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition.
In direct initiative, the proposition is put directly to a plebiscite or referendum, also called a popular initiated referendum or citizen-initiated referendum.
In an indirect initiative, the proposed measure is first referred to the legislature, and then if the proposed law is rejected by the legislature, the government may be forced to put the proposition to a referendum. The proposition may be on federal level law, statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment, local ordinance, obligate the executive or legislature to consider the subject by submitting it to the order of the day. In contrast, a popular referendum that allows voters only to repeal existing legislation.[1]
The hurdles the petition has to meet vary between countries, typically a certain number of signatures by registered voters, to prevent a flood of frivolous measures on the ballot.[2] It's been argued that a signature hurdle does not always determine popular support since the signature hurdle can be achieved through hiring a professional company to gather signatures.[3][4] Instead of a signature hurdle a state-sponsored public opinion poll as hurdle has been proposed.[3]
The success of a popular initiative depends on the exact wording.[2]
- ^ Initiative, Referendum and Recall, NCSL.org
- ^ a b Richard J. Ellis, Signature Gathering in the Initiative Process: How Democratic Is It?, 64 Mont. L. Rev. (2003).
- ^ a b Garrett, Elizabeth. "Money, agenda setting, and direct democracy." Tex. L. Rev. 77 (1998): 1845.
- ^ Berman, David R. The Future of 'direct Democracy' in Arizona: Petition Circulators, Election Officials and the Law. Morrison Institute for Public Policy, 2014.