North America and the Caribbean

Half of the US states have provisions for direct democracy that are akin to those of Switzerland. Thus, while focus is often Washington DC, in everyday life citizen-initiated measures (popular initiatives) are a dominant feature of politics in several American states. By contrast, Canadians have some limited experience with national referendums. The chapter identifies critical junctures that explain the differences between these countries. In addition, the chapter concludes that politicians in high-use initiative states must govern under rules initiated by citizens, and under constant threat that laws they pass may be vetoed by voters. Thus, initiatives and referendums affect the policy agenda in states, and prominent state ballot measures on taxation, minority rights and controversial social policies have at times changed the national agenda.