Empowering Voters Through Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives 

In keeping with the LWVNC’s goal, that “government should be open, accountable, ethical, and responsive to citizens,” the LWVNC has adopted a position focused on the right of NC citizens to directly petition for changes to state laws or our NC Constitution by way of ballot measures. This type of action is referred to as Citizen Initiative (CI) or Citizen-led Ballot Measures. 

CI is a tool that enables voters to collect signatures and put a law or constitutional amendment directly on the ballot. This offers a route to reforms when the legislature will not act. CI provides a tool to address gridlock, unresponsiveness, and self-interest by our elected officials. It is a pathway to enact change and provides citizens with a counterweight to the power of lobbyists.  

Many other states have made Citizen Initiative available to their voters. If available in NC, this tool would permit citizens to advance reform goals in multiple policy areas. In the November 2024 elections, citizens across the country voted on 46 state ballot measures, including protecting reproductive rights, adopt or modify ranked choice voting, raise the minimum wage and expand paid leave, introduce top four primaries, modify criminal sentencing provisions, legalize marijuana, and protect same-sex marriage. All functional independent redistricting commissions were created via Citizen-led ballot initiatives. 

As many members know, the long-term organizing work starts after a Policy Position is adopted. We hope you will familiarize yourself with the adopted position and share your support and concerns with chapter leaders and delegates. More information is available via the links below.

Outreach Around the State 

The CI Action Team has been asked to continue to educate LWVNC members around the state about CI and why it is an important tool to protect democracy. While we have a number of presentations already scheduled, please contact us if you would like a presentation. 

For additional information, to schedule a briefing, or to join the CI Action Team, contact %20bremer.jennifer [at] gmail.com (Jennifer Bremer), ereckhow [at] gmail.com (Ellen Reckhow), or lwv.gwilliams [at] gmail.com (Gaye Williams).  We also encourage you to read/watch the resources listed below.

About the LWVNC Position on Citizen Initiative 

To enable Citizen Initiative in North Carolina, a state constitutional amendment is required. The CI position that has been adopted provides the framework for what we would like to see in the amendment that enables CI in North Carolina. 

CI is a powerful tool. It is important to recognize that CI could be used by special interest groups, and thus it should not be “easy” to propose or pass initiatives. Initiatives should be applicable to, and have the best interests of, all NC citizens. Most importantly the process must embody safeguards to protect representative and deliberative democracy. 

After reviewing 19 CI positions adopted by Leagues in other states, the North Carolina CI Study Team recommended concurrence with the LWV Alabama position: 

• It was the only position that explicitly addresses the critical need to protect democracy. They did the best job specifying standards, guardrails, and guidelines that serve as safeguards to protect representative and deliberative democracy.
  

• It demonstrates a balance between being general enough to give us flexibility and specific enough to protect us from known pitfalls in implementing Citizen Initiative. It provides a sufficient level of detail to guide our efforts in working towards a constitutional amendment that enables CI, but not so specific that it hampers our ability to negotiate with others to a workable solution.
  

• It addresses all three aspects of CI: preparation of an initiative, collection of signatures, and the campaign for passage and vote. It puts clarity and transparency as key aspects; it should be clear to the voter what a yes vote means on an initiative and it should be clear who is behind the initiative. 

The LWVNC Citizen Initiative Position Statement 

INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM

A. The League of Women Voters of North Carolina (LWVNC) recognizes the value of an initiative and referendum process that allows citizens to take a role in initiating and voting on both laws and constitutional amendments. Currently, North Carolina does not have initiative and the only form of referendum—voter approval or rejection of a legislative enactment—now in place applies to constitutional amendments. The state legislature must place its proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot for voter approval.

B. The LWVNC believes strongly that the right of citizens to vote on constitutional amendments as now provided in the Constitution of North Carolina must be preserved.

C. The LWVNC believes that the initiative and referendum process must embody safeguards to protect representative and deliberative democracy, to guarantee basic rights found in the U.S. and North Carolina Constitutions, maintain essential state services, and reduce the influence of special interest politics.

D. Standards are needed both for the certification of an initiative proposal and for the referendum in which voters approve or reject it. The safeguards that the League recommends include:

1. Proposal Preparation

a. Limit each proposal to one subject.

b. Explicitly bar that which would abrogate rights granted in the U.S. and North Carolina Constitutions.

c. Require initiative sponsors to file the following with a designated state official (e.g., Secretary of State) before collection of petition signatures begins:

i. the proposed initiative and title as they would appear on the ballot

ii. a copy of the actual petition to be circulated; and

iii. clear identification of initiative sponsors.

d. Mandate an impartial expert review* of proposal wording before collection of petition signature begins to ensure the proposal:

i. is constitutional,

ii. makes clear what a “yes” vote and a “no” vote mean in practice, and

iii. uses language that is not offensive. 

*The review agency/agencies should be respected nonpartisan organizations such as the Legislative Drafting Division, or North Carolina School of Government.

e. Bar the filing of a defeated proposal until at least two years have passed.

2. Signature Collection

a. Set a reasonable time limit for the period within which petition signatures must be collected.

b. Require that signatures be from registered voters only.

c. Require that signatures be collected from all areas of the state.

d. Base the minimum number of valid signatures needed on the number of votes in the last gubernatorial election.

e. Set the minimum number to initiate a constitutional amendment higher than for initiating a statute.

f. Require that all organizations working to gather petition signatures periodically file financial disclosure forms with the appropriate state office.

3. Campaign for Passage and the Vote

a. Require validation of petition signatures for placement on the ballot.

b. Place proposals only on general election ballots.

c. For proposals related to statutes, require only a simple majority for passage. Set the number higher for constitutional amendment initiative proposals.

d. Require an impartial analysis of the effect of the measure’s passage on existing law, current levels of service, and fiscal consequences. This information should be disseminated as widely as possible. The review agency/agencies should be a respected nonpartisan organization such as the Legislative Drafting Division, the Legislative Analysis Division, or the North Carolina School of Government.

e. Set a limit on the number of initiatives that may be placed on the ballot in any one election.

f. Require that all initiative sponsors periodically file financial disclosure forms with the appropriate state office.

4. Legislative Role
Serious consideration should be given to allowing for legislative action on an initiative in the session that follows the certification of the petitions. Legislative adoption of a statutory initiative as filed would mean the initiative could become law without a vote by the people. If the Legislature offers an alternative measure, both versions would go on the ballot. Should the legislature fail to act on the proposed initiative, the initiative would go directly to the voters.

Resources 

Sanford School Student Report on CI Process for NC 
For more information, view the recording of the May 2024 Citizen Initiative Study Team briefing – Sanford School of Government Professor Asher Hildebrand spoke during this Zoom. 

During the November 2024 Zoom, Dr. Justin Phillips, associate professor in the political science department at Columbia University, discussed Citizen Initiative and its role in promoting direct democracy. 

During a December 2024 Zoom, Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins spoke. She served two terms as LWVUS President, is an adjunct professor at UNC Chapel Hill, and helped review Citizen Initiative ballot proposals for the LWV in Colorado when she lived there. Here are slides from the December 2024 session. 

Also, the Team held two outreach sessions prior to the state Convention in May, 2025.

April 2025 Zoom Recording

April 2025 PowerPoint