A groundbreaking new report from the Election Reformers Network (ERN) shows how state legislatures and elected officials have manipulated the ballot initiative process to stymie the will of voters in many states across the country. The report, Partisan Control of Ballot Measures: How to Stop Manipulation of Citizen Initiatives, was released February 3, 2025.
From 2010 to 2023, state legislatures amended or repealed more than 20% of voter-approved initiatives. In addition, partisan officials, such as secretaries of state and attorneys general, have used their control of ballot language, fiscal assessments, and signature verification to mislead voters or block measures from reaching voters. And, the report finds, the controversial actions are growing increasingly blatant.
“The problem is clear. States that have given voters the right to advance ballot initiatives need to protect that right against abuses by elected officials,” said ERN Executive Director Kevin Johnson. “The will of the majority has been thwarted many times in many states. For voters, these abuses seem to prove system is rigged against them. For politicians and political parties, win-at-all-costs is the new and dangerous imperative.”
Abuses have occurred in blue states and red. One of the most egregious examples occurred this year in Ohio, where Issue 1 proposed an independent redistricting commission. when Secretary of State Frank LaRose used his control of the state ballot board to write a title and summary that completely misled voters. For a measure intended to “ban partisan gerrymandering,” LaRose’s approved language described. a commission “required to gerrymander.”