Citizen Initiatives

RECLAIMING AMERICA through "Single Issue Amendment Conventions"

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STATE AND NATIONAL "SINGLE ISSUE" INITIATIVE STRATEGIES

 

CITIZEN INITIATIVES is a multi faceted political, legal and Constitutional effort to place as much pressure on State Legislators and Congress as possible.   Our ultimate objective is to secure Legislative Calls from 34 States for each proposed Amendment.  At the same time we will be lobbying Congress to send each Amendment to the States for ratification voluntarily.  Congress may do so in order to avoid being forced into convening a “SINGLE ISSUE” Federal Convention. The States are agreeing in their Legislative Calls to rescind their Calls if Congress sends the Amendment to the States for ratification before 34 States complete their Calls.  Judicial efforts are also being planned to use the Courts on behalf of each selected Amendment as seems appropriate and wise. 

 

STATE INITIATIVES

 

Initiative and Referenda States

 

 Many States allow citizens to adopt laws or amend State Constitutions through the ballot.  Initiative  States  are States where citizens have the right to place, on the ballot, a proposed law or amendment to the State Constitution.  Referenda States  are States where citizens have the right to reject laws or amendments to the Constitution that the Legislatures have enacted.  The Initiative process is used more frequently and is the more powerful of the two. 

 

There is no national Initiative process for amending the United States Constitution.  Amending the United States Constitution must be done through the State Legislatures and Congress .

 

There are 24 States that have some form of Direct or Indirect Initiative process for their citizens.  Of these, 21 States allow Direct or Indirect Statutes to be proposed by the citizenry. 

 

Direct Initiative States allow citizens to propose constitutional amendments or statutes on the election ballot without legislative approval. 

 

Indirect Initiative States require citizens o submit the proposed constitutional amendment or statute to the Legislature, during a regular legislative session, before placing it on the election ballot.  If the Legislature refuses to approve the amendment or statute, or if it alters the wording and meaning, the citizens have the right to continue with their petition drive to qualify for the ballot without Legislature approval.  Some States allow the Legislature to place an alternate amendment or statute on the ballot alongside the one proposed by its citizens. 

 

Popular Referendum States give the people the right to refer legislation enacted by the Legislature to the people to accept or reject at the ballot. 

 

Legislative Referendum States require the Legislature or duly authorized State agency to place  amendments or statutes on the ballot for the people to decide.  All States, but Delaware, require constitutional amendments proposed by the Legislature to be placed on the ballot for the citizenry to decide. 

 

 

 States where

some

form of

Initiative  or

Popular

Referen-dum

is available

Date process was adopted

 

Type of process

 

Type of Initiative process available

 

Type of Initiative process used to propose Constitutional amendments

 

Type of Initiative process used to propose States  laws

 

 

Initiative

 

Popular

Referendum

Constitutional Amendment 

Statute

Direct

Amend

Indirect

Amend

Direct

Statute

Indirect

Statute

Alaska

1956

X

X

 

X

 

 

X

 

Arizona

1911

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

Arkansas

1910

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

California

1911/66

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

Colorado

1912

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

Florida

1972

X

 

X

 

X

 

 

 

Idaho

1912

X

X

 

X

 

 

X

 

Illinois

1970

X

 

X

 

X

 

 

 

Kentucky

1910

 

X

 

X

 

 

 

 

Maine

1908

X

X

 

X

 

 

 

X

Maryland

1915

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

Massachu-setts

1918

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

X

Michigan

1908

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

X

Mississippi

1914/92

X

 

X

 

 

X

 

 

Missouri

1908

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

Montana

1904/72

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

Nebraska

1912

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

Nevada

1905

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

 

New Mexico

1911

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

X

No. Dakota

1914

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

X

Ohio

1912

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

X

Oklahoma

1907

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

Oregon

1902

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

So. Dakota

1898/88

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

Utah

1900/17

X

X

 

X

 

 

X

X

Washington

1912

X

X

 

X

 

 

X

X

Wyoming

1968

X

X

 

X

 

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totals

27

24

24

18

21

16

2

16

7

 

 

STATE STRATEGIES

 

Initiative StatesBefore a State Constitutional Amendment, or State Statute, can qualify for a State ballot, a percentage of the voters who voted in the previous election have to sign an Initiative petition.  Each Initiative State determines the percentage that is needed to qualify for the next election ballot.  Usually States require 5% to 10% of qualified voters to sign the petition.  CITIZEN INITIATIVES plans to place on State ballots a Statute requiring the Legislature to make a Call on Congress to convene selected “SINGLE ISSUE” Federal Conventions when the State Legislators refuse to do so voluntarily.  We will not be attempting to amend State Constitutions.  We will, however, lobby Initiative State Legislatures with Redress Petitions in the hopes of convincing the Legislatures to make the Call on Congress before our State Initiative qualifies for the ballot. 

 

Legislative States:  “Redress of Grievances petitions will be used to direct Legislative States to make a Call on Congresso convene the selected “SINGLE ISSUE” Federal Convention.  Lobbying the Legislatures, in each of these Legislative States, will also be necessary.  When a State Legislature is unwilling to make a Call, they will be directed to place the issue on the State ballot for the voters to decide.   Many of these Legislative States want their States and citizens Rights reinstated.  These facts will work in our favor in many of the 50 States. 

 

 

Citizen Initiatives

Single Issue Amendment Conventions

962 Oak Ave., #15  Spruce Pine, NC 28777-0523

director@citizeninitiatives.org  /  http://citizeninitiatives.org

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