Citizen Initiative (CI) gives voters a powerful “direct democracy” tool enabling them to collect signatures and put a proposed law or constitutional amendment directly on the ballot. Twenty-six of the U.S. states have CI processes in place. North Carolina, like most Southern states, falls into the “have not” category.  

CI is a way to address public policy issues that a state’s legislature refuses to address or is unable to resolve. The initiative process provides an opportunity for voters to make policy in an area where public opinion is moving but the legislature is not.

The CI Study Team has two statewide Zoom talks planned. On Tuesday, November 12, Justin Phillips, an Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Columbia University, will describe CI and its role in promoting direct democracy.

Mark your calendar for this virtual statewide talk.

For more information, contact Ellen Reckhow at ereckhow [at] gmail.com and learn more about CI at: https://my.lwv.org/north-carolina-state/citizen-initiative-study