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WHAT I&R IS
Initiative is the right of citizens to propose
laws, or constitutional amendments, for approval (or rejection) by
the voters.
Citizens write up the proposed law, obtain
comment and guidance on it from the Attorney General and the
Secretary of State. Then hundreds of thousands of signatures of
registered voters from all over Texas must be collected on petitions
with the proposed law printed on them. If enough valid
signatures are collected, the proposal is placed on the general
election ballot in November of an even year** but only after at least
five more months of public discussion. The citizens of Texas
then determine whether to vote the proposal into law or to reject it.
**General elections in November of even years
are when the highest percentage of Texas voters turn out to vote.
Referendum is the right of citizens to force a
binding vote of the people on legislation passed by the Legislature.
The referendum process is similiar to the
initiative with one exception. The time line for obtaining
signatures on a petition is much shorter than with the
initiative. If the referendum makes it to the ballot box, the
law addressed in the referendum cannot go into effect until the
people have voted on it. |
