When Californians voted to steer non-violent drug offenders to rehab instead of jail, they made one of the few big changes in law and government policy approved around the country Tuesday.
History shows that voters usually shy from tinkering with public policy.
More than half of ballot measures fail and the more dramatic the idea, the less likely it is to pass. This Election Day was no different. Maine voters rejected doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill and civil rights protection for gays and lesbians. The answer was no to sweeping school voucher proposals in Michigan and California, and also to a state lottery, casinos and charity bingo in Arkansas. Voters refused to demand women in Colorado wait 24 hours after seeking an abortion.