History

A brief ride through Initiative & Referendum national history

  • Evidence suggests Initiative being available to citizens of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
  • Initiative and Referendum has existed in this county since 1600’s  when New England citizens placed ordinances on the agenda for discussion and then a vote within town meetings.
  • Thomas Jefferson proposed Legislative Referendum for the 1775 Virginia State Constitution.
  • Massachusetts in 1778 had the first state-wide Legislative Referendum.
  • New Hampshire followed in 1792.
  • 1800’s people realized no matter the checks-and-balances, written into our Constitution, they had no direct ability to reign in out of touch and control government.
  • 1890 Populist reform advocated women’s suffrage, secret ballots, direct election of US Senators, and I&R.
  • Nov 5, 1898 S. Dakota became first state to adopt state-wide Initiative and Popular Referendum.
  • Next Oregon in 1902 approved Initiative and Popular Referendum 11 to 1 margin.
  • 1914 Texas voted down Initiative and Popular Referendum as the legislature required 20% signatures
  • Currently 26 states have adapted a form of Initiative and Popular Referendum – mostly mid west and western states. Settlers leaving the east coast corrupt governments infused with corporate money incorporated greater citizen voice and control of their state and local governments with I&R into their constitutions and charters.
  • Citizens in 15 of 20 of the largest US cities have I&R
  • Citizens in Birmingham and Talladega both are recorded to have used referendum in April 1911. Birmingham citizens attempted to use a referendum to ratify or reject actions of the Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Birmingham as recent as 2001. The Mayor-Council Act of 1955, section 3.15(b) provides the provisions of I&R to their citizens.
  • 1992 Mississippi last state to adopt state-wide Initiative.
  • The goal of proponents continue to be ensure elected officials remain accountable to electorate.