Re: Legislation

From: Ross A. Finlayson (raf@tiki-lounge.com)
Date: Wed Jun 07 2000 - 18:24:43 MDT


Michael S. Lorrey wrote:

> Some states have public referendum laws or such are specified in the state
> constitution. There is no federal referendum process. Each state has its own
> requirements, requiring typically a couple thousand up to a as much as 5% of the
> electorate sometimes to get something on the ballot.

A project such as this would require information of the ballot requirements for each
state and nationally be determined.

>
> I play around at policy.com and opinion.com, and I email my federal legislators
> at least on a monthly basis, usually in opposition to some tyrannical law people
> in DC are trying to pass. I think that the way politicians treat polls and
> letters from constitutents is sort of an informal referendum process. The fact
> that a couple of them still remember when they nominated me to one or another
> military academy, and that I'm a voting veteran, helps make sure they pay
> attention.
>

You are an active citizen.

>
> I do find that local legislators, oddly enough, seem to fall through the cracks
> of public oversight. There are some that try to fly under the radar, so to
> speak. Nobody knows who they are or what they look like, they don't make public
> announcements or cause controversy, and usually run unopposed, or run opposed by
> people even less known than they are.
>

Bear in mind that politics are incredibly media-driven, and often media-drivel, and
that the small town media will have its own system for small town policitians.

>
> Some referendum systems only allow the public to vote on whether to submit the
> proposed law to the legislature, while others overrule the legislature, and can
> only be Vetoed by the Governor.
>

I haven't seen any site that details completely each state's and significant
locales' and the federal systems for any kind of citizen action. That would be good
to have, and the ditribution of that kind of information would be beneficial for
grassroots activists generally, who generally have a cause, and often a case.

>

Ross Finlayson



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