Multiple states are proposing and enacting measures that would rein in direct democracy via "citizen initiatives," a small step toward restoring a republican form of government, which the Founding Fathers favored. 
Direct democracy can enable mob rule, empower special interests, and make it easier for governments to violate God-given rights. The Founding Fathers instead established a constitutional republic to protect the rights of individuals. Restoring those principles starts with us — educating our fellow citizens about constitutional state government and putting pressure on our elected officials to boldly reapply the Founding Fathers' blueprint for government.

Multiple states are proposing and enacting measures that would rein in direct democracy via "citizen initiatives," a small step toward restoring a republican form of government, which the Founding Fathers favored.

The New York Times recently reported on these state efforts:

In North Dakota, Utah and South Dakota, legislatures are sponsoring measures on the November ballot that would raise the threshold for approving citizen amendments to 60 percent, not a simple majority.

In Missouri, the legislature placed a measure on the ballot that would set an even higher bar: Citizen-sponsored amendments to the state constitution would have to win in each of the state's eight U.S. House districts. An initiative that wins 95 percent of the vote statewide could lose if it fails in a single district.

And in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill imposing a raft of new requirements, fees and criminal penalties around collecting signatures on petitions for ballot measures. The result: All 22 initiatives proposed by citizens this year failed to qualify for the ballot….

Twenty-four states give citizens the constitutional right to sponsor initiatives. Last year, legislatures in those states passed 51 bills restricting citizen ballot measures, according to the Fairness Project, which supports progressive initiatives. Between 2018 and 2023 they had passed, on average, 34 restrictive bills a year.

This year, with legislatures still in session, the Fairness Project says it is tracking 76 potential restrictions, including proposals to require 60-percent supermajorities to approve initiatives in Arizona and Oklahoma.

Because many proposals to restrict "citizen initiatives," including those requiring a supermajority or concurrent majority for approval, require a state constitutional amendment, they ironically require approval by voters, in addition to state legislators, to go into effect.

Previous Attempts

Previous efforts have had mixed results. For example, although Florida voters approved a 2006 measure to raise the threshold for approving constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60 percent, voters have rejected more-recent measures in Arkansas, Ohio, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The fact that direct democracy — with or without state legislative initiation — has been embedded in nearly every state constitution illustrates how modern state constitutions largely do not reflect America's founding principles.