Ballot initiatives allow citizens to enact meaningful policy changes that otherwise have little chance of being passed by politicians.Just like legislators, voters can pass bad laws or fail to pass good ones. But historically, voters have a far better record.
States where citizens enjoy initiative and referendum rights not only have lower taxes, they also have more tax and spending decisions made at the local level, rather than statewide. Furthermore, a recent study by scholars at Wellesley College says I&R states have significantly less government waste and better economic performance than do states without I&R.