There is a simmering movement in Connecticut toward including the right to initiative and referendum — a process that allows citizens to vote directly on proposed legislation — as part of the state constitution. It is unclear where the itch is coming from, but at a time when national opinion polls demonstrate that more than 80 percent of us feel the country is headed in the wrong direction, the environment may be perfect.
The right to put big public issues on the ballot is a hornet’s nest of a debate. Politicians normally lean toward supporting it because they fear their opposition will be viewed as undemocratic. Those who do argue against it believe they have been elected to make decisions about policy with the understanding that their independence protects us all from mob rule. If the voters disagree, then the next election is the time to make a change. It is a persuasive argument.
Budget Battles
Several towns in Connecticut regularly put their municipal budgets to a vote. It is an annual ritual that confounds some professional town managers and city councils. Citizens armed with little specific knowledge of the budget process are able to kill perfectly good budget plans based solely on their ability to mobilize a pitchfork rebellion. That’s the bureaucratic view of the right to initiative and referendum.
There are other dangers, too. A constitutional amendment allowing referenda would make Connecticut fertile ground for the perpetual issue campaign. Suddenly, groups pushing otherwise settled issues would be able to force a statewide debate if they were able to gather the necessary petitions. It would change the nature of how we make policy — at the state level—in Connecticut.
From a taxpayer perspective, there may be nothing wrong with that. At a time of rising prices and rising taxes, there is no indication anyone in state government is looking for, or thinking of ways to realign government to reduce spending, or more efficiently address the issues of today. Every year’s budget debate begins with the question; how much did we spend last year and how much more do we need this year? No one ever seems to ask; how much did we spend last year and where can we cut back? And no one ever asks us at all.
It would be nice to think that ballot issues would be used to answer big questions of vision, but it is more likely the process would be used to do battle over hot button issues like gay marriage, gun control, casino gambling and three-strikes laws.
Wide Appeal
Another fear is the opportunity for politicians to use the initiative and referendum process to hide behind the voters instead of doing their job. The last time anyone seriously proposed using a ballot initiative statewide came during the governor’s race in 1990. Democratic candidate Bruce Morrison, in the face of two other major candidates campaigning against an income tax, suggested the issue be put to the voters. The idea was dismissed and used against Morrison as a sign he wasn’t willing to make the tough decisions on his own if elected.
Having raised many of the concerns related to initiative and referendum, it can’t be denied the concept has wide appeal. It is a winning campaign issue at a time when people are feeling government is doing little to make things better.
If Connecticut moves in this direction, voters should insist that the rules give them a real voice. The threshold for entry into the process shouldn’t be so high that we have a right to referendum in name only. A restrictive system gives politicians the right to claim they are sharing power with the people while locking voters out.
Dean Pagani is a former gubernatorial advisor. He is V.P. of Public Affairs for Cashman and Katz Integrated Communications in Glastonbury.
