Editorial -- GOP Limiting Ballot Measures

On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions backing proposed measures to expand voting access, ensure abortion rights, and legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona, Arkansas, and Michigan. But they report that voters might not get a say because Republican officials and judges are fighting tooth and nail to keep these proposals off the ballot.

These actions by the Republican Party show why the two party system is a complete failure. The two main parties don’t trust We the People to govern our own affairs. And don’t count on the Democrats to try to save us. They’re too busy demanding that we make all these sacrifices and blame it all on the Russians.

Nothing is stopping people from putting measures on the ballot which would require Voter ID, declare that life begins at conception and ban abortion except when the mother’s life is in danger, or make the possession of marijuana a felony. That’s the whole point. Such measures need to be debated at the ballot box, and the state needs to respect the wishes of the people. And there is nothing wrong with legislatures putting measures of their own on the ballot. 

The point is that in states, the people need to be a check on the tendency of politicians to think that they know more than the people they are supposed to serve. By their own actions, these politicians in Arizona, Arkansas, and Michigan think that they know more than the people they are supposed to represent. Term limits are designed for people such as this.

As long as we keep electing the same people into power year in and year out, we will continue to get the same results. 

One common argument against these petitions is that they are being driven by interest groups. Fine. But states already have fair and adequate safeguards to protect the people. Citizen initiatives can’t go against the US or state constitutions. And if you want to get a ballot measure passed, you have to get hundreds of thousands of signatures, not an easy task. 

The politicians can try to take away our right to govern our own affairs all they want. But they can’t force us to vote for them. We can withhold votes from politicians who refuse to carry out the wishes of We the People.