In the politics of the United States,the process of initiatives and referendums allow citizens of many U.S. states to place new legislation,or to place legislation that has recently been passed by a legislature on a ballot for a popular vote. As of 2023,these processes are only available at state levels,and do not exist for federal legislation. Initiatives and referendums,along with recall elections and popular primary elections,are signature reforms of the Progressive Era;they are written into several state constitutions,particularly in the West. It is a form of direct democracy.
Leon Drolet is a Michigan Republican politician and Anti-tax activist elected Macomb County Commissioner. He is a political activist known for his conservative fiscal views,which have caused criticism from politicians from both sides,including Candace Miller,L. Brooks Patterson and Mark Hackel. From 2001 to 2006,Drolet served in the Michigan House of Representatives. Drolet also served as a Macomb County,Michigan county commissioner from 1999 to 2000 and from 2006 to 2008. Drolet was active in the Southeast Michigan Tea Party Movement.
Elections in Oregon are all held using a Vote by Mail (VBM) system. This means that all registered voters receive their ballots via postal delivery and can vote from their homes. A state Voters’Pamphlet is mailed to every household in Oregon about three weeks before each statewide election. It includes information about each measure and candidate in the upcoming election.
Frank LaRose is an American politician. He was elected Secretary of State of Ohio in 2019. He was a Republican member of the Ohio State Senate for two terms,from January 2011 to January 2019. He is a candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 2024 election,challenging incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown.
Thomas Ray "T. J." Shope Jr. is an American Republican politician and businessman who has been a member of the Arizona Legislature from the 16th Legislative District,which covers central and eastern Pinal County and southern Gila County. First elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2012,he was a member of the House from January 2013 to January 2021;in the latter part of his time in the state House,he was Speaker Pro Tempore. Shope was elected to the Arizona State Senate in November 2020,and took office in January 2021.
Kelly Townsend is an American author,childbirth educator and birth doula who was a Republican politician. She was a member of the Arizona Senate representing District 16 from 2021 to 2023,and previously was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021,acting as Majority Whip from 2017 to 2018.
Michelle Ugenti-Rita is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Arizona State Senate representing District 23 from 2019 to 2023. She previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. Ugenti served consecutively from January 10,2011 until January 14,2013 in the District 8 seat. She was a candidate for Secretary of State of Arizona in the 2022 election,but lost in the Republican primary.
Javan Daniel "J.D." Mesnard is an American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona Senate representing District 13 since 2023. He previously represented District 17 from 2019 to 2023.
Nancy K. Barto is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Arizona State Senate from 2021 to 2023. She previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021 and the Arizona Senate representing District 15 from 2013 to 2019. Barto served consecutively in the Arizona State Legislature from January 2007 until January 10,2011,in the Arizona House of Representatives District 7 seat,then in the Arizona Senate in the District 7 seat from January 10,2011,until January 14,2013.
Cris E. Dush is an American politician. A Republican,he has been a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate since 2020,elected from the 25th District. From 2014 to 2020,Dush was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives,elected from the 66th House district,which then encompassed Jefferson County and Indiana County.
Bill Dean is an American politician serving as the state representative for the 74th District of the Ohio House of Representatives. He is a Republican. The district includes Madison County as well as portions of Clark County and Greene County.
Venden "Vince" Leach is an American politician from Arizona. A Republican,he was a member of the Arizona State Senate from 2019 to 2023,representing District 11. From 2015 to 2019,he was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 11.
Briscoe Cain is an American attorney and Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 128.
Arizona House Bill 2005 is state-level legislation introduced in the Arizona State Legislature and signed into law in 2018.
Frank Carroll is an American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona Senate representing District 28 since January 9,2023. He was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023,representing House District 22. Carroll was first elected in 2018 to succeed State Representative David Livingston,who instead ran for State Senate.
Following the 2020 United States presidential election and the unsuccessful attempts by Donald Trump and various other Republican officials to overturn it,Republican lawmakers initiated a sweeping effort to make voting laws more restrictive within several states across the country. According to the Brennan Center for Justice,as of October 4,2021,more than 425 bills that would restrict voting access have been introduced in 49 states—with 33 of these bills enacted across 19 states so far. The bills are largely centered around limiting mail-in voting,strengthening voter ID laws,shortening early voting,eliminating automatic and same-day voter registration,curbing the use of ballot drop boxes,and allowing for increased purging of voter rolls. Republicans in at least eight states have also introduced bills that would give lawmakers greater power over election administration after they were unsuccessful in their attempts to overturn election results in swing states won by Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The efforts garnered press attention and public outrage from Democrats,and by 2023 Republicans had adopted a more "under the radar" approach to achieve their goals.
The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol initiative,listed on the ballot as Issue 2,is a ballot initiative for legalization of cannabis in the U.S. state of Ohio that was passed by voters on November 7,2023.
The 2022 Kansas abortion referendum was a rejected legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Kansas Constitution that appeared on the ballot on August 2,2022,alongside primary elections for statewide offices,with early voting from July 13. If enacted,the amendment would have declared that the Kansas Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion,given the Kansas state government power to prosecute individuals involved in abortions,and further declared that the Kansas government is not required to fund abortions.
Justine Wadsack is an American politician. Wadsack was elected in 2022 to serve in the Arizona State Senate representing District 17 as a member of the Republican Party. Wadsack defeated incumbent State Senator Vince Leach in the Republican primary.
Austin Smith is an American politician. He has been a member of the 29th district of the Arizona House of Representatives,alongside Steve Montenegro,since 2023.
