Accessories Sub Menu:

Information
Pages
Sub Menu:

Click browser BACK button to return.

Declaration of Independence	Annapolis 1786	Federalist No. 10	Federalist No. 39	Federalist No. 42	Federalist No. 43
Federalist No. 45	Federalist No. 49	Federalist No. 85	James Madison June 6, 1787	James Wilson 1790-1791	Gettysburg Address
Preamble	Article I Section 1	Article I Section 2	Article I Section 3 Clause 6	Article I Section 8 Clause 18	Article I Section 10 Clause 3
Article IV	Article V	Article VII	Amendment I	Amendment X	Extracts from State Constitutions
Ludlow 1938	Koupal 1977	Hoekstra 1994	Canady-Bliley 1998	PST&T v Oregon 1912	Cooley - People's Sovereignty
Wisconsin Application 1911	Apply by Initiative for Convention	Ratification by State Referenda	Mullen v Howell 1919	Herbring v Brown 1919	Maine Opinion of the Justices 1919
Hawke v Smith 1920	Eisenhower 1961	Term Limits v Thornton 1995	Philadelphia II v. Gregoire 1996	Line Item Veto Clinton v NY 1998	CRS Report Durbin May, 1995
Cities with Initiatives	States with Initiatives	States with Referendums	Public Support for Initiatives	California Citizens' Assembly	How Democratic Was Athens?
E-voting and Elections	Contingency Initiative Estimate	Reelection	Quotations	Athenian Constitution

Public Polls and Surveys on Nationwide Initiatives

Polling data on this issue is sparse. However, the limited data shows strong support for the use of nationwide initiatives. Averaging the four polls, Citizens are 63.5% in favor and 21.3% against Initiatives.

In a 1987 Gallup poll ^{(Craig,
p271)}, the following question was asked of U.S. citizens: “Should we trust our elected officials to make public decisions on all issues, or should the voters have a direct say on some issues.” The responses were 76% in favor vs. 18% opposed, and 6% unsure.
The Washington Post ^(Merida) reported a 1994 poll showing 64% of those interviewed favored a national referendum.
In a 1997 Gallop poll ^(Witherow), a group of U.S. citizens were asked: “Would you favor a constitutional amendment, similar to the laws which 23 states already have, that would permit the citizens of the U.S. to place a proposed law on a national ballot by collecting a specified number of signatures on a petition and have the law take effect if approved by a majority of the nation’s voters?” The results were 57% in favor vs. 25% opposed, and 18% unsure.
In 1999-2000 Portrait of America (POA) conducted a telephone poll for the Initiatives and Referendum Institute. It showed that in only four States was public support for initiatives and referendums less than 55 percent. In the 24 States with initiatives, support was 8 percent higher than in States without initiatives.

In answer to the specific question "Should there be a similar process where citizens can place laws on the ballot nationwide?", the response was 57% in favor vs. 21% against and 22% unsure, with a margin of error of ± 3%.

In view of the public's deteriorating view of government, and in view of a growing awareness of wealthy special interest groups' influence since these polls, today's results may be even stronger. On the other hand, wealthy special interests' abuse of the States' signature petition method of qualifying initiatives may taint the public's view of this planned Amendment. Any survey of support for this Amendment should make the difference clear—this Plan's Boule method of qualifying initiatives cannot be influenced by special interests.