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Washington State is one of many states which allows its citizens the use of initiatives and referendums. Initiatives are proposed laws which registered voters may get placed on the general ballot after following proper procedure, which includes getting enough signatures (equal to eight percent of the voters in the previous gubernatorial election) supporting the initiative. There are two types of initiatives indirect initiatives and direct initiatives. Indirect initiatives are sent to the legislator, where it is either adopted and made law, refused and sent to the general ballot, or amended in which case both the original and amended versions appear on the ballot (Nice, Pierce, & Sheldon, 1).

Initiatives keep government officials in check, cut down on political corruption, and provide a way for the average citizen to take an active role in their state's government. However, this form of direct democracy has taken on a new role in state politics, other than what was originally intended by early supporters of the initiative. In many cases, initiatives have been abused and have been misleading or detrimental to the economy. Citizens' lack of understanding, misleading corporate campaigns, and the frivolous use of initiatives have led to initiatives taking on a negative image in the eyes of many politicians and informed citizens. Initiatives have already caused several problems in Washington State, and state legislatures need to consider putting more restrictions on the initiative process. Also, by examining problems regarding the use of initiatives in other states, it can be seen that Washington needs to place more regulations on their initiative process before these problems repeat themselves in Washington.

Thomas Jefferson once said, I know of no safer depository of the ultimate power of society but the people themselves" (Kenin & Wintle, 178). Realistically though, to what degree can the average citizen participate in an efficient, smooth running government without messing things up? One of the major problems with the use of initiatives is that often times the citizens making and voting on the measures are not politically and economically informed enough to make beneficial decisions regarding policies in their state. Many citizens vote in favor of initiatives that cut taxes because they appear beneficial to them, but they do not realize that in the long run they may end up having to pay more as government is forced to make up for the loss in revenues by cutting programs or by raising costs in another area. The public often demands a decrease in taxes, but still expects government to maintain its programs which aid the citizens of the state (The Initiative & Referendum Institute, 1). This problem has become evident to the people of Washington State as they have begun to feel the negative impact of Initiative 65, which they voted into effect in November of 1. Initiative 65 set the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax at $0 for every vehicle, which prior to I-65 had been set in relation to the cost of the vehicle (.% of the the value of the vehicle, plus a license fee of $.75). I-65 also made state and local tax and fee increases subject to voter approval, to make sure that the government could not easily compensate by adding new taxes in other areas. Due to I-65, the revenues from the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax, which funds police, firefighters, transportation, and public health, have been cut by $764 million a year (Office of Financial Management, 1). Washington States current budget problem should come as no surprise, as the legislature struggles to come up with funding for the growing public transportation problems. Now voters of Washington State are going to feel the effects as government funded agencies, such as educational facilities, health institutes, and road management, are forced to scale back. I-65 is a prime example of voters wanting tax cuts without the consequences. Decisions that alter the states revenues so drastically undermine the activities of Washington State's legislative and executive officials. Aside from the indirect initiative, legislators do not get much of an opportunity to address complex issues addressed in initiatives, which will simply be voted for or against by the electorate. There needs to be regulations in place which prevent initiatives from making such influential changes in state funds and policies, or else Washington State is going to continue to have major budget problems that are not easily fixed.

Though not as harmful, citizens often waste the money and time of the government with initiatives that are unnecessary or pointless. In the past 100 years, approximately ,000 initiatives have been placed upon ballots throughout the states. Of these ,000, only about 40 percent were adopted (The Initiative & Referendum Institute,1). Though many of the initiatives which were turned down probably addressed relevant issues, there were also many that were completely unnecessary for voters to waste time with.There are always people in society who have a "pet project" or strong views regarding relatively unimportant matters, and allowing these people such easy access to law making can allow them to be an even bigger nuisance to the government. One extreme example is a proposed Maine ordinance, which would bar women from publicly displaying their breasts. Though it was easily defeated, there was much public debate that went on regarding the measure (Mullins, 18). Though relatively harmless, large numbers of these propositions can end up wasting a lot of time, especially if a measure is particularly offensive and there is much public protest to the matter. Instead of addressing major problems in local government, many initiatives pursue pointless and sometimes frivolous matters. Because of this change in the use of initiatives, the government needs to be allowed more control over which initiatives are allowed on the ballot.

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Another problem with initiatives is that the supporters of an initiative often take advantage of citizens' lack of awareness, and structure their campaign in a way that is misleading. The average citizen is not going to take the time to read the lengthy pamphlet explaining all of the initiatives they will be voting on, unless they know it will directly affect them. Instead, voters must rely on the media and campaigns they have heard surrounding each issue. There are often hidden agendas that are purposefully avoided in the campaigning agenda for initiatives, or are stated in such a way that they are misleading. In 16, voters in Arizona approved Proposition 00, which used the slogan get tough on crime in their campaigning. Most voters were only aware of the section which would mandate harsher sentences for crimes committed under the influence of drugs. What most voters probably didnt realize, was that the proposition would also legalize marijuana for medicinal uses. This was because the ad campaign focused only on the tougher punishment section, but did not address the section legalizing medical marijuana at all. This law was later overturned by the Arizona legislature, but stands as proof that in many cases citizens are not completely aware of what an initiative entails. Also, the reading level of initiative measures on Massachusetts and Rhode Island ballots was estimated at the fifteenth-grade level (third year college) (Magleby,184). There needs to be some form of mandate which prevents hidden agendas of initiatives. Perhaps all initiatives should be given to a non partisan organization which summarizes all major points of the initiative. It may also have a limit on length so that citizens can better understand what they are voting on, or look over it to see if there is something in the initiative which they had not heard about. There needs to be some form of safeguard against hidden agendas in an initiative.

The initiative keeps government in check, and is a good way by which citizens can participate in their government. But as the use of initiatives has changed over time, the laws which regulate them need to change as well. Because of misinformed and uneducated voters, there needs to be safeguards preventing the abuse of initiatives. The current budget issues confronting Washington State as a result of an initiative should spark more debate regarding initiative reform over the next few years. Perhaps the answer, however hypocritical, is an initiative proposing initiative and referendum regulatory issues. Whatever means by which it can be accomplished, policy regarding initiatives and referendums need to be better regulated in Washington State. Bibliography

Kenin, Richard, & Wintle, Justin (Eds.). (178). The Dictionary of Biographical Quotation of British and American Subjects. New York Random House.

Magleby, David B. (184). Direct Legislation Voting on Ballot Propositions in the United States. Baltimore and London The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Mullins, William. (18). "Voters See Initiatives as an Advertisement for the General Interest A Vote of No Confidence in Their Legislators". The World Paper. http//www.worldpaper.com/. March 1, 00.

Nice, D., Pierce, J., & Sheldon, C. (Eds.). (1). Government and Politics in the Evergreen State. Pullman Washington State University Press.

Office of Financial Management. (1). "Potential Financial Impacts of I-65". Office of Financial Management Washington State http//www.ofm.wa.gov/i-65/65 august .htm. March 1, 00.

The Initiative & Referendum Institute. (1). "Initiative and ReferendumTalking Points". The Initiative & Referendum Institute http//www.iandrinstitute.org/quill .htm. February 7, 00.

Rosenthal, Alan. 18. The Decline of Representative Democracy. Washington D. C. Congressional Quarterly Press.

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