This is a totally uninformed opinion of mine based on a pretty general observation of political trends, but it seems like ballot initiatives are rarely a good thing. In theory, direct democracy is appealing, but too often we see the system for initiatives getting abused by special interests or a way to circumvent our government’s ability to prevent the minority from the persecution of the majority. The Times has a nice, concise op-ed today on how the system has largely spun out of control. I think TimesSelect has a free trial going or something, so I’ll just copy the whole thing.

The Politics of Frustration
Ever since anti-taxation zealots in California rediscovered the populist frisson of the ballot initiative a generation ago, American politics has gone off on a binge of ballot proposals. Today is one of the busiest, with 81 citizen initiatives before voters in more than 20 states. Pity the poor voter who has to wade through a list of sometimes contradictory, sometimes misleading proposals, doing work that should be the responsibility of elected officials.We always watch with interest — and sometimes with concern — to see how people exercise this peculiar power. Will Alaskans stop aerial hunting of wolves and bears? What happened in Oklahoma to impel the proposal to stop paying the salary of state legislators doing jail time? Arizonans will have to decide whether they want the state to randomly award $1 million to one lucky voter in future elections, in order to encourage turnout. (A better inducement, in a state where voters have to come up with opinions on 19 questions today, might just be to cut down on the initiatives.) Citizens in some states are being asked to stand up to the tobacco industry’s national clout by approving higher tobacco taxes at home and greater restrictions on public smoking, while others are being asked to do the opposite.

The initiative movement was bad enough when special interest groups used it to encourage voters to believe they could get lower taxes and more services just by voting to make it so, encouraging a government-by-proposition lunacy that made it impossible for state governments to divide up their resources rationally. Lately, political parties have tried to insert hot-button social issues to lure their base to the polls. Thus the raft of anti-gay proposals that are a standard thrust of right-wing election strategists, with eight states asking voters to define marriage as strictly a heterosexual union. This year Democrats in six states have retaliated with proposals to increase the minimum wage.

The ballot questions getting the most national attention undoubtedly include the South Dakota proposal to overrule the Legislature’s passage of a draconian ban on nearly all forms of abortion, and a Missouri constitutional amendment aimed at banning restrictions on stem cell research. As much as we approve the sentiments behind each one, we still can’t help clinging to the idea that the best way to protect abortion rights or stem cell research is to elect sensible lawmakers and appoint judges who believe in the Constitution.

Scattershot initiative is no way to run a democracy; rebuke is no substitute for effective representation. In this crazy-quilt of vox pop, an initiative to make it easier to propose future ballot initiatives is reported to be in trouble with Colorado voters. This is small comfort for any voter imagining the ballot is about choosing responsive politicians more than panaceas.

- Zach Shoup