Most Referendums Since 1998 Empower Voters to Reject State Laws
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More than 14 months before the next general election, voters fed-up with state lawmakers are taking matters into their own hands, gathering signatures to repeal the most legislation in more than a decade.
Citizen-initiated ballot measures are one response to polarized statehouses, where laws pass by slim margins along party lines. Around the U.S., five referendums aimed at overturning legislation have already qualified for the 2012 ballot, the most in a single year since 1998. That’s on top of a record 10 recall attempts to oust politicians this year.