Digital Politics With Karen Jagoda

Maresa Strano, Director of the Political Reform Program at New America, discusses the role and mechanics of ballot initiatives in the 23 states that allow for citizen-led statewide initiatives. These Initiatives are a tool for direct democracy and are an effective mechanism for achieving political and good governance reform. Once established in a state's constitution, ballot initiative-driven legislation is difficult to restrict, and typically, changes are unpopular with voters. Current research suggests an opportunity to expand the ballot initiative process to new states as a means to transcend partisan politics and foster meaningful civic engagement and democratic reform. We talk about: The complexity of creating and driving a successful citizen-initiated ballot measure Why initiative topics like raising the minimum wage frequently attract bipartisan support Ballot initiatives as a powerful tool for engaging members of a community especially the younger generation Identifying states ripe for adopting a ba