He absolutely believes this is something that needs to be done. Maine is one of only 21 states that allow citizens to pass laws at the ballot box. The Maine Constitution requires activists to collect signatures equal to 10 percent of the voters who cast ballots in the previous gubernatorial election. Once the signatures are collected and certified, a referendum is held unless the Legislature approves the proposed law as written. Thanks to the poor showing that year, when King faced several weak opponents in his successful bid for re-election, the number of signatures needed to place a referendum on the ballot has dropped from more than 51,000 a few years ago to 42,101 today.
Critics say that encourages overuse and abuse of the system.
And they say well-heeled special interests often hijack the referendum process to promote their own narrow agendas rather than the public good. The process has become increasingly popular since it was launched in Maine in the early 20th century. State records show that there was only one initiated referendum from 1941 through 1950 and none in the 20 years that followed. Those three, dealing with assisted suicide, forestry and gambling, were defeated. Political scientists attribute the growing popularity of referendums to public disenchantment with the legislative process and to the increasing wealth and sophistication of special interests that see referendums as a safer bet than lobbying the Legislature.