About Initiative and Referendum

National I&R Map

Alabama

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Alaska

You have a statutory Initiative & Referendum process. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Unfortunately, voters do not yet enjoy any process for passing a constitutional amendment by Initiative.

Arizona

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Arkansas

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

California

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Colorado

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Connecticut

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Delaware

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Florida

You have Initiative rights for citizens to place constitutional amendments on the ballot for a decision by the voters, but citizens lack a process where they can pass statutes or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature.

Georgia

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Hawaii

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights. There is an initiative process at the county level.

Idaho

You have a statutory Initiative & Referendum process. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Unfortunately, voters do not yet enjoy any process for passing a constitutional amendment by Initiative.

Illinois

You have Initiative rights for citizens to place constitutional amendments on the ballot for a decision by the voters, but that right is so severely limited that only one initiative has qualified for the ballot in the last 30 years. Citizens lack a process where they can pass statutes or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature. There is a very difficult process for advisory statewide measures.

Indiana

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Iowa

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Kansas

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Kentucky

You have Referendum rights, whereby citizens can suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters do not enjoy any process for Initiative.

Louisiana

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights. Parishes enjoy a local Initiative process.

Maine

You have a statutory Initiative & Referendum process. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Unfortunately, voters do not yet enjoy any process for passing a constitutional amendment by Initiative.

Maryland

You have Referendum rights, whereby citizens can suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters do not enjoy any process for Initiative.

Massachusetts

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Michigan

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Minnesota

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights. Yet, 80 home-rule cities including St. Paul, Bloomington, Red Wing, Duluth and St. Cloud have local Initiative and/or Referendum.

To get involved
Let Minnesota Vote
1313 Fifth Street SE
Suite 302-C
Minneapolis. MN 55414
(612) 379-3616

Mississippi

You have Initiative rights for citizens to place constitutional amendments on the ballot for a decision by the voters, but citizens lack a process where they can pass statutes or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature.

Missouri

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Montana

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Nebraska

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Nevada

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

New Hampshire

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

New Jersey

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

New Mexico

You have Referendum rights, whereby citizens can suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters do not enjoy any process for Initiative.

New York

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

North Carolina

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

North Dakota

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Ohio

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Oklahoma

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Oregon

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Pennsylvania

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights, but Philadelphia and Allegeney County (Pittsburgh) have local Initiative rights.

Rhode Island

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

South Carolina

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

South Dakota

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Tennessee

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights, but Knoxville, Nashville-Davidson County, Chattanooga and Shelby County (Memphis) have local Initiative rights.

Texas

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights, but 263 cities have Initiative rights.

To get involved
Initiative for Texas
1750 Timber Ridge Road #116
Austin, TX 78741?
(512) 447-2086
email: mikeford@quik.com

Utah

You have a statutory Initiative & Referendum process. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Unfortunately, voters do not yet enjoy any process for passing a constitutional amendment by Initiative.

Vermont

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Virginia

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights and very few local jurisdictions have any Initiative & Referendum rights.

Washington

You have a statutory Initiative & Referendum process. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Unfortunately, voters do not yet enjoy any process for passing a constitutional amendment by Initiative.

West Virginia

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Wisconsin

You have no statewide Initiative & Referendum rights.

Wyoming

You have a statutory Initiative & Referendum process. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Unfortunately, voters do not yet enjoy any process for passing a constitutional amendment by Initiative.