Origins
The first instance of a modern US initiative and referral system appeared in Oregon in 1902. This in itself was a product of the governmental reforms that were a signature of the Progressive Era, which sought to reduce corruption and inefficiency. A strong sentiment that current political systems were cumbersome and slow lead to the popularization of the idea of direct democracy. Citizen initiative became highly popular in newly forming governments and thus is widespread in the Western United States.
Itself a product of the Progressive Era reforms, the constitution adopted by Arizona upon admission to the Union in 1912 reflects the sentiment that direct democracy was sacred. The first section of the constitution dealing with the powers of the Legislature is quick to reserve the rights of initiative and referendum for the people. These rights are also granted specific protections, being exempt from veto by the governor as well as not being subject to repeal by the legislature. Citizen initiatives may only be overturned by subsequent initiatives.
Read more about this topic: Arizona Ballot Proposition
Famous quotes containing the word origins:
“Lucretius
Sings his great theory of natural origins and of wise conduct; Plato
smiling carves dreams, bright cells
Of incorruptible wax to hive the Greek honey.”
—Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962)
“Compare the history of the novel to that of rock ‘n’ roll. Both started out a minority taste, became a mass taste, and then splintered into several subgenres. Both have been the typical cultural expressions of classes and epochs. Both started out aggressively fighting for their share of attention, novels attacking the drama, the tract, and the poem, rock attacking jazz and pop and rolling over classical music.”
—W. T. Lhamon, U.S. educator, critic. “Material Differences,” Deliberate Speed: The Origins of a Cultural Style in the American 1950s, Smithsonian (1990)
“The origins of clothing are not practical. They are mystical and erotic. The primitive man in the wolf-pelt was not keeping dry; he was saying: “Look what I killed. Aren’t I the best?””
—Katharine Hamnett (b. 1948)