About Us

 If government OF the people is to be government FOR the people, we must have… GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE.

Government by the People is dedicated to using the initiative process (in the states* that give citizens that powerful form of direct democracy) to reform our election process and address critical problems that have gone unaddressed due to corporate influence within and over our dysfunctional government.

We are recruiting an army of volunteers and a coalition of supportive organizations to work together to get ballot initiatives on the ballot and passed into law in the twenty-four states that give citizens the power to propose and pass laws and amendments to state constitutions directly, without the involvement or approval of the state legislature or governor.

*The states that have some form of 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.  Our initial efforts have been concentrated in Missouri, but we are actively seeking leaders in the other states to join our campaign.

The initiative process is a powerful form of direct democracy.

Government by the People is designed to serve as an organizing hub for groups (and individual citizens) who want to utilize the initiative process to enact meaningful legislation at the state level.  (See “Our Plan” for further details.)

The status quo is well defended by the people in power within the present system.  The initiative process exploits the Achilles Heel of this dysfunctional system.  The initiative process is the best means at our disposal to work within the system to change the system.  We intend to change the rules of the game to level the playing field and make it easier for grassroots candidates to run viable campaigns and win elections.

See the “Our initiative proposals” tab on this site for a more detailed description and discussion of our petitions.

If you have had enough of politics-as-usual, click on “Join the Campaign” to become an active part of our grassroots movement.

In the process of working to get our proposals on the ballot, we are also identifying potential candidates for public office and providing them with a unique opportunity to get some valuable on-the-job training by acting as spokespersons for our initiative proposals.

A unique opportunity for on-the-job training for potential candidates.

If you are contemplating running for office in one of the states that has the initiative, you can develop your public speaking skills, build name recognition, make contact with voters, and begin to form your campaign staff by acting as a spokesperson in the district you would represent.  You need not have made a final decision regarding whether to  run, you may identify yourself as a candidate, if you wish to do so, but you do not have to identify yourself as a candidate.  If you are interested in taking advantage of this unique opportunity, send an email to info@governmentbythepeople.org to let us know.

Our petitions cannot be signed online, but online tools can help you find a time and place to sign.

Our petitions are legal documents.  If enough signatures are obtained by May 6, 2018, the proposed laws or constitutional amendments will be on the ballot on November 6, 2018.  If approved by voters, they become law.  Signatures must be witnessed by the person circulating the petition.  Petitions must be notarized before they are submitted.  Although you cannot sign our petitions on-line, if you provide your contact information, we can use on-line tools to help you find a convenient time and place to sign.

To provide your contact information, click on “Join the Campaign” (in the sidebar).  Once you provide your information, we will keep you informed of town hall meetings, signing parties, benefit concerts and other events in your area where you can sign the petitions.  We will also inform you of the location of offices (of our supporting organizations) where you can sign during office hours.  You have until May of 2018 to sign.