Citizen Initiatives Fertilize the Grass Roots (1996)

There may be no better barometer of citizen involvement in politics than ballot initiatives, and this year's bountiful crop suggests that activism at state level is surging. Grass-roots conservative activists are not waiting for Republican Congress to take up their causes. From school choice to tax cuts to affirmative action, ballot issues backed by conservatives seem to outnumber liberal causes for first time in recent elections. Initiatives reach state ballots after aroused citizens surmount an obstacle course of petition requirements, filing deadlines, and occasional court or legislative challenges. Designed to amend state constitutions or enact statutory law, they allow disaffected voters in 24 states that permit them to vent their frustrations and allow activists to force reforms past unwilling legislators. From 1981 through 1992, according to Council of State Governments, 346 initiatives appeared on state ballots--more than in previous 40 years. Eighty-eight more were put before voters in 1994. By early May of this year, 26 initiatives had qualified for ballot of November 5, 1996, while petitions were still circulating on behalf of about 300 others. In end, only a small fraction will actually make it onto ballot. This year's proposals tackle some of most contentious issues in American politics: Affirmative action. Kolt Z. Jones, an expert on initiatives at Americans for Tax Reform, says that all points of spectrum are represented by this year's initiatives. Liberals back measures to raise minimum wages in several states and to limit campaign spending; conservatives are pushing term limits, supermajority requirements for tax hikes, charter schools, and school vouchers. But the mother of them all, he says, is California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI). CCRI ban state from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any individual on basis of race, sex, or ethnicity in public employment, public education, or public contracting. It effectively end affirmative action in California state government. Passage of initiative, says Brian T. Kennedy of Claremont Institute's Sacramento office, would be more than a first step in rolling back affirmative action across America, it be a giant leap in that direction. Similar initiatives to prohibit racial discrimination are circulating in Florida, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington, but fate of CCRI could decide course of movement to roll back racial and gender preferences. Although polls have consistently shown strong support for initiative, millions of dollars in attack ads may narrow margin between now and November. Still, a strong antiquotas measure on ballot cannot be good for Bill Clinton. Says Katherine Post of Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco, California Civil Rights Initiative poses a big problem for president, who has hedged on issue of preference programs with a 'mend, don't end' policy. California is critical to Clinton re-election strategy and if president comes out on popular side of issue, he alienate core constituencies of his own party everywhere. (For more information, contact Claremont Institute at 909-621-6825, or Pacific Research Institute at 415-989-0833. Also, see Smart Women, Foolish Quotas, by Sally C. Pipes and Michael Lynch, page 30.) Political reform. Two of four initiatives that have qualified for California ballot so far cap contributions to political campaigns. The one backed by Common Cause put stiff limits on personal contributions to local and state campaigns. Observers think limits are so low that they virtually end TV campaign ads in California. The other measure, pushed by Naderite groups, contains similar restrictions with a loophole that permit unions to get around limits. On conservative side of political reform, term-limits juggernaut has put initiatives on ballot in Wyoming and Maine, while other measures still need signatures to qualify in Alaska, Florida, and Nevada. …