Election Laws and Agenda Setting: How Election Law Restrictiveness Shapes the Complexity of State Ballot Measures. (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Milita, Kerri
• Is Part Of: State politics & policy quarterly. Volume 15:Number 2(2015:Jun.)
• Page Start: 119
• Page End: 146
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: direct democracy -- political behavior -- election rules -- interest groups and elections -- political participation -- voting behavior; State governments -- United States -- Periodicals; Political planning -- United States -- States -- Periodicals; Gouvernements d'États fédérés -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; Politique publique -- États-Unis -- États -- Périodiques; 320.97305
• DOI: 10.1177/1532440015575901
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1532-4400

Abstract

Abstract: Recently, many U.S. states that allow citizen initiatives have passed laws designed to make it more difficult for an initiative to qualify for the ballot (e.g., by increasing the number of signatures required to get on the ballot), thereby making it harder for citizens to bypass the legislature and make direct changes to public policy. Such laws have reduced both the number of measures that make the ballot and the number that pass on Election Day. I show that laws governing access of initiatives to the ballot also shape the policy agenda; provisions making it harder for proposals to get on the ballot decrease the complexity of the initiatives on the ballot. As less complex initiatives are more likely to be understood by voters and voters are reluctant to vote for measures they do not understand, more restrictive laws actually increase the likelihood that an initiative will pass.