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If government OF the people is to be government FOR the people, we must have GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE!
This web site is designed to serve as an educational resource and organizing hub for concerned citizens who want to work together to get legislation that has the support of a majority of voters passed into law. A special emphasis on the initiative process – a powerful form of direct democracy that may be our best hope for reforming our political system and passing other critically necessary legislation that has been blocked by partisan gridlock.
On this site you will find:
- Information about the details of the initiative process in each state (the details vary greatly from state to state);
- Information about some of the most powerful reforms we could make to our electoral system (reforms that are not likely to be passed by legislators in Congress or state legislatures since they threaten to upend politics-as-usual); and
- Information related to pragmatic proposals for addressing the problems we face as a nation.
Government by the People is a political action committee supporting informed and active participation in the political process by concerned citizens, as well as political reform and political action through ballot initiatives – a powerful form of direct democracy.
Citizens in the twenty-four states that have some form of initiative have the right to propose and pass laws (including amendments to the state constitution in some states) without the approval or involvement of the state legislature or governor.
The states that have the initiative are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Getting the initiative in place in these states was a major victory for the Progressive Movement in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Initiative campaigns are inherently non-partisan – focused on specific proposals and providing citizens an opportunity to work together across party lines to pass needed reforms and legislation.
We are in the process of developing a data base of voters who are willing to consider signing petitions. When you provide your email address and/or cell phone number, we will keep you informed of signing opportunities and related events in your area.
If you would like to take an active role in initiative campaigns, please click on “Join the Campaign” in the sidebar. You do not have to live in one of the states that has the initiative to get involved in our efforts. Phone banking and fund-raising can be done from anywhere. If you do live in, or near, a state with the initiative, you can help gather signatures, canvass, and help organize and host events.
