OPINION PIECE: America needs direct democracy more than ever — protect the ballot now By Chris Melody Fields Figueredo

Read the full article here in The Hill here.

Progressive issues are winning at the ballot level in states controlled by conservatives. And it’s been happening steadily since 2016.  

In response, conservative legislators have significantly intensified their opposition to ballot measures nationwide as we the people have successfully raised the minimum wage, expanded Medicaid, created fair redistricting maps and protected reproductive freedom. The battle for the future of direct democracy has come to the state capitol dome, where legislators have introduced bills that aim to complicate the process of passing ballot measures. These are deliberate, calculated, and organized tactics employed by conservative legislators to undermine the ballot measure process and thwart the will of the people.  

Since 2016, when progressive ballot initiatives really started winning at the ballot box, legislators across the country have proposed over 375 bills, ranging from burdensome signature-gathering restrictions to heightened ballot measure passage thresholds. And these attacks on direct democracy are continuing to grow at an alarming rate: Missouri legislators, for instance, have put forth more than 70 billssince 2010.  

Now, after two years of voters successfully defeating abortion bansand protecting reproductive rights at the ballot, we are not only witnessing an escalation in conservative attacks on the ballot measure process but also their successful implementation. Conservative legislators with their own agendas have managed to pass bills that have significantly complicated the ballot measure process, with profound implications on whether people living in those states will have power to utilize direct democracy — and raising serious concerns about the future of progressive causes. 

Chris Melody Fields Figueredo is the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.  

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