Indirect initiative
 |
| Initiated |
| • Initiated constitutional amendment |
| • Initiated state statute |
| • Veto referendum |
| Legislative |
| • Legislative constitutional amendment |
| • Legislative state statute |
| • Legislative bond issue |
| • Advisory question |
| Other |
| • Automatic ballot referral |
| • Commission-referred measure |
| • Convention-referred amendment |
| Select a state from the menu below to learn more about that state's types of ballot measures. |
An indirect initiative is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that is first presented to the state legislature after signatures are verified. The indirect process varies from state to state and between indirect statutes and indirect constitutional amendments. By comparison, a direct initiative goes to the ballot after signatures are verified.
For an indirect initiated state statute, legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide. Some states require a second set of signatures for an indirect initiative to appear on the ballot.
For an indirect initiated constitutional amendment, voters must decide the issue, but the state legislature plays a role in the process before the proposal appears on the ballot.
The types of direct initiatives at the state level are:
Indirect initiated state statute
- See also: Indirect initiated state statute
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
Legislatures in five states — Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, and Washington — can propose an alternative proposal to appear alongside the indirect initiated state statute as a competing ballot measure.
The nine states that provide for indirect initiated state statutes are:
Indirect initiated constitutional amendment
An indirect initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. There are two states – Massachusetts and Mississippi – that allow citizens to initiate indirect constitutional amendments.
While a direct initiated constitutional amendment is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiated constitutional amendment is first presented to the state legislature, which has various options depending on the state.
Note on Mississippi:
Mississippi has an initiated constitutional amendment process, including a signature distribution requirement based on five congressional districts. However, the requirements cannot be met, according to the Mississippi Supreme Court, because the state has four congressional districts following reapportionment in 2001.[1]
Types of citizen-initiated measures in each state
- See also: States with initiative or referendum
There are 26 states that provide citizens with the power of initiative, referendum, or both. The following table shows the type of citizen-initiated ballot measures in each of those states. The table also provides the signature requirements for each type of measure for the 2025-2026 election cycle.
| States that provide for types of citizen-initiated measures and current signature requirements | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Constitutional | Signatures | Statute | Signatures | Referendum | Signatures | |
| Alaska | No | N/A | Yes | 34,098 | Yes | 34,098 | |
| Arizona | Yes | 383,923 | Yes | 255,949 | Yes | 127,975 | |
| Arkansas | Yes | 90,704 | Yes | 72,563 | Yes | 54,422 | |
| California | Yes | 874,641 | Yes | 546,651 | Yes | 546,651 | |
| Colorado | Yes | 124,238 | Yes | 124,238 | Yes | 124,238 | |
| Florida | Yes | 871,500 | No | N/A | No | N/A | |
| Idaho | No | N/A | Yes | 70,725 | Yes | 70,725 | |
| Illinois | Yes | 328,371 | No | N/A | No | N/A | |
| Maine | No | N/A | Yes | 67,682 | Yes | 67,682 | |
| Maryland | No | N/A | No | N/A | Yes | 60,157 | |
| Massachusetts | Yes | 74,490 | Yes | 74,490 | Yes | 37,245[2] | |
| Michigan | Yes | 446,198 | Yes | 356,958 | Yes | 223,099 | |
| Mississippi[3] | Yes | 106,190 | No | N/A | No | N/A | |
| Missouri | Yes | 185,152[4] | Yes | 115,720[4] | Yes | 115,720[4] | |
| Montana | Yes | 60,240 | Yes | 30,120 | Yes | 30,120 | |
| Nebraska | Yes | 126,838 | Yes | 88,787 | Yes | 63,419[5] | |
| New Mexico | No | N/A | No | N/A | Yes | 92,829[6] | |
| Nevada | Yes | 102,362 | Yes | 135,561 | Yes | 102,362 | |
| North Dakota | Yes | 31,164 | Yes | 15,582 | Yes | 15,582 | |
| Ohio | Yes | 413,487 | Yes | 248,092[7] | Yes | 248,093 | |
| Oklahoma | Yes | 172,993 | Yes | 92,263 | Yes | 57,664 | |
| Oregon | Yes | 156,231 | Yes | 117,173 | Yes | 78,115 | |
| South Dakota | Yes | 35,017 | Yes | 17,508 | Yes | 17,508 | |
| Utah | No | N/A | Yes | 140,748 | Yes | 140,748 | |
| Washington | No | N/A | Yes | 308,911 | Yes | 154,456 | |
| Wyoming | No | N/A | Yes | 40,669 | Yes | 40,669 | |
Other types of ballot measures
Most ballot measures are placed on the ballot through citizen initiatives or legislative processes. Others are placed on the ballot automatically, by a special commission, or by a state constitutional convention. The following is a list of different types of state ballot measures:
See also
- Forms of direct democracy in the American states
- States with initiative or referendum
- Types of ballot measures
- Types of citizen-initiated ballot measures
Footnotes
- ↑ Mississippi Supreme Court, "In Re Initiative Measure No. 65: Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler V Michael Watson, in His Official Capacity as Secretary of State for the State of Mississippi," May 14, 2021
- ↑ This was the number of signatures required to put a targeted law before voters. To suspend the enactment of the targeted law until the election, the requirement was 49,660 valid signatures.
- ↑ On May 14, 2021, the Mississippi Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision stating that it is impossible for any petition to meet the state's distribution requirement and has been impossible since congressional reapportionment in 2001. The six justices wrote, "... Whether with intent, by oversight, or for some other reason, the drafters of [the constitutional signature distribution requirement] wrote a ballot initiative process that cannot work in a world where Mississippi has fewer than five representatives in Congress. To work in today’s reality, it will need amending—something that lies beyond the power of the Supreme Court."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 This is the minimum required if signatures are collected in the congressional districts with the lowest numbers of votes cast in 2020. The signature requirement varies based on what districts are targeted for signature collection.
- ↑ To suspend the enactment of the targeted law until the election, the requirement is 126,838 valid signatures.
- ↑ This is the number of signatures required to put a targeted law before voters. To suspend the enactment of the targeted law until the election, the requirement is 232,072 valid signatures.
- ↑ This is the requirement for two rounds of signatures to get an initiated statute on the ballot; half the number of signatures—124,046—is required to place the initiative before the legislature.
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