LOCALIZE IT: Lawmakers in about a dozen states seek to restrict or revamp citizen initiative process
By DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press
EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
About half the U.S. states allow voters to gather petition signatures to place proposed laws or constitutional amendments on the ballot.
Since the first such vote in 1904, a total of 2,744 citizen initiatives have appeared on statewide ballots, with 42% wining approval, according to the Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California.
But the process has long caused tension between voters and their elected representatives, and legislatures in some states are seeking to rein in the initiative process.
Across about dozen states, roughly 40 bills restricting or revamping the citizen initiative process have passed at least one legislative chamber this year, according to a review by The Associated Press. Many already have been signed into law.
Some advocates for the initiative process are alarmed by the trend.
Most of the new restrictions come from Republican lawmakers in states where petitions have been used to place abortion rights, marijuana legalization and other progressive initiatives on the ballot. GOP lawmakers contend their measures are shielding state constitutions from outside interests.
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READ AP’S LATEST
Lawmakers seek to rein in citizen ballot initiatives with new requirements for petitions
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FIND YOUR STATE: CITIZEN-INITIATED BALLOT MEASURES
Citizen initiatives generally fall into three categories — petitions to propose laws, amend state constitutions or repeal laws passed by the legislature. The latter is also referred to as a referendum. The National Conference of State Legislatures breaks down the citizen-initiative process available in states (you can also view this map that AP created; the embed code is at the end of this guide).
1. Alaska: Established 1956; Initiative for statutes and referendum
2. Arizona: Established 1912; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
3. Arkansas: Established 1909; Initiative for statues, constitutional amendments and referendum
4. California: Established 1911; Initiative for statues, constitutional amendments and referendum
5. Colorado: Established 1910; Initiative for statues, constitutional amendments and referendum
6. Florida: Established 1972; Initiative for constitutional amendments
7. Idaho: Established 1912; Initiative for statutes and referendum
8. Illinois: Established 1970; Initiative for constitutional amendments
9. Maine: Established 1908; Initiative for statutes and referendum
10. Maryland: Established 1915; Initiative for referendum
11. Massachusetts: Established 1918; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
12. Michigan: Established 1908; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
13. Mississippi: Established 1992; Initiative for constitutional amendments; however, it’s currently unusable due to a state Supreme Court ruling
14. Missouri: Established 1908; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
15. Montana: Established 1906; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
16. Nebraska: Established 1912; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
17. New Mexico: Established 1911; Initiative for referendum
18. Nevada: Established 1912; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
19. North Dakota: Established 1914; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
20. Ohio: Established 1912; Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
21. Oklahoma: Established 1907: Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
22. Oregon: Established 1902: Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
23. South Dakota: Established 1898: Initiative for statutes, constitutional amendments and referendum
24. Utah: Established 1900; Initiative for statutes and referendum
25. Washington: Established 1912; Initiative for statutes and referendum
26. Wyoming: Established 1968; Initiative for statutes and referendum
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FIND YOUR STATE: LEGISLATION ON CITIZEN INITIATIVES
Bills revising the ballot initiative process have passed at least one chamber in dozens of states and been considered in more. Listed below are legislative measures which have received final approval. The bill numbers provide links to the legislation.
ARIZONA
SB 1534: Vetoed. Shifts responsibility for writing ballot titles to a legislative council instead of the secretary of state with attorney general approval.
ARKANSAS
HB 1221: Signed into law. Signatures on initiative petitions expire after a general election.
HB 1222: Signed into law. Allows the attorney general to reject initiatives that conflict with the U.S. Constitution or law. Sponsors cannot submit multiple initiative versions covering similar material.
HB 1574: Signed into law. Requires paid petition canvassers to live in the state.
HB 1637: Signed into law. Requires financial impact statements for initiatives to be included on the ballot.
HB 1713: Signed into law. Requires the attorney general to reject initiative ballot titles written above an eighth-grade reading level.
SB 102: Signed into law. In local option elections, canvassers must be U.S. citizens and state residents and cannot be paid per signature collected.
SB 207: Signed into law. Initiative canvassers must inform signers that petition fraud is a criminal offense.
SB 208: Signed into law. Initiative canvassers must view a photo identification to verify the identify or petition signers.
SB 209: Signed into law. The secretary of state shall not count signatures collected by canvassers who violated state laws.
SB 210: Signed into law. Requires initiative petition signers to first read the ballot title or have it read aloud to them.
SB 211: Signed into law. Initiative canvassers must file affidavits certifying they complied with the state Constitution and laws.
FLORIDA
SB 1205: Signed into law. Requires volunteers to register with the state, or face felony charges, if they collect signatures from more than 25 people who are outside their family. Bars initiative canvassers who are noncitizens, nonresidents or felons whose voting rights have not been restored. Petition signers must provide a Florida driver’s license, state identification card or last four digits of their Social Security number. Initiative sponsors must submit signed petitions with 10 days instead of the previous 30-day deadline.
IDAHO
SB 1117: Signed into law. Requires the state to produce updated cost estimates for initiatives before they are placed on the ballot.
MISSOURI
SB 22: Signed into law. Gives the secretary of state three chances to rewrite ballot summaries declared by a court to be insufficient or unfair before the court can rewrite it.
MONTANA
HB 179: Signed into law. Signing an initiative petition for a state ballot measure is not grounds to remove someone from a list of inactive voters.
HB 201: Signed into law. Requires paid initiative canvassers to disclose their name and home state to petition signers.
SB 11: Passed to governor. Sets requirements for initiative petitions for local ballot measures.
SB 226: Passed to governor. Sets incremental deadlines for initiative canvassers to submit affidavits verifying signatures to county election administrators.
NORTH DAKOTA
HCR 2003: Referred to ballot. Requires 60% voter approval for future constitutional amendments.
SB 2230: Signed into law. Requires the secretary of state to create an objective summary and anticipated financial impact for ballot measures.
SCR 4007: Referred to ballot. Requires the secretary of state to reject proposed constitutional amendments that contain more than one subject.
SOUTH DAKOTA
HJR 5003: Referred to ballot. Requires 60% voter approval for future constitutional amendments.
HB 1169; Vetoed. Requires initiatives for constitutional amendments to obtain signatures equal to at least 5% of the votes cast for governor in the last election in each state Senate district and 10% of votes cast statewide.
HB 1184: Signed into law. Moves up the deadline to submit initiative petition signatures to February, instead of May, before a general election.
SB 91: Signed into law. Requires initiative petition titles to be printed in 14-point type on the front page and 16-point font on the back side.
SB 92: Signed into law. Requires the secretary of state to reject proposed initiatives that contain more than one subject.
SB 106: Signed into law. Requires initiative sponsors to be registered voters in the state.
UTAH
SJR 2: Referred to ballot. Requires 60% voter approval for future ballot measures related to taxes.
SB 73: Signed into law. Requires the lieutenant governor to reject proposed initiatives that are unlikely to provide adequate funding for their proposed laws.
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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
— If your state allows citizen-initiated ballot measures, how often are they used? How often have they won voter approval? And what types of issues have fared well?
— Are there efforts in your state to restrict the citizen-initiative process? Talk with lawmakers about the reasons for the new laws. Talk to groups that have sponsored initiative petitions in the past, or are planning to do so in the future, to get their perspective. Talk to voters to see if they agree with the new laws.
— If your state does not currently allow citizen ballot initiatives, have there been any legislative proposals to allow it? What are the arguments against it?
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EMBED THIS GRAPHIC
This AP digital embed map shows which states allow citizen-led ballot initiatives such as referendums and constitutional amendments. This map is current as of May 6, 2025, and will not update. Sources: Ballotpedia; National Conference of State Legislatures.
To embed, insert this code into your CMS:
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READ ADDITIONAL AP COVERAGE
Lawsuit challenges new restrictions to getting measures on Florida’s election ballot
DeSantis signs law creating new hurdles for Florida’s citizens’ initiative process
Lawsuit challenges new restrictions on initiative process in Arkansas
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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org
