States with initiative or referendum

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Types of ballot measures
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Initiated
• Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum
Legislative
• Legislative constitutional amendment
• Legislative state statute
• Legislative bond issue
• Advisory question
Other
• Automatic ballot referral
• Commission-referred measure
• Convention-referred amendment
Select a state from the menu below to learn more about that state's types of ballot measures.

In the U.S., 26 states provide for a statewide initiative process, referendum process, or both. Washington, D.C. also has an initiative and referendum process. These types of ballot measures are known as citizen-initiated ballot measures.

  • The referendum process, also called a veto referendum or citizen's veto, allows citizens to collect signatures to ask voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law.

States with initiative and referendum

See also: States with initiative or referendum

The following 26 states have an initiative process, referendum process, or both at the statewide level. Washington, D.C. also has an initiative and referendum process.

Note on Mississippi:

Mississippi has an initiated constitutional amendment process, including a signature distribution requirement based on five congressional districts. However, the requirements cannot be met, according to the Mississippi Supreme Court, because the state has four congressional districts following reapportionment in 2001.[1]

Map of states

The following is a map of the 26 states and information on the different types of citizen-initiated measures in these states:

List of states

The following is a list of the 26 states and information on the different types of citizen-initiated measures in these states:

States that provide for citizen-initiated ballot measures
State Types Year adopted Constitutional provisions
Alaska • Initiated state statute (indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1956 Article 11, Alaska Constitution
Arizona • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1911 Article 4 and Article 21, Arizona Constitution
Arkansas • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1910 Article 5, Arkansas Constitution
California • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1911 Article 2, California Constitution
Colorado • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1910 Article 5, Colorado Constitution
Florida • Initiated constitutional amendment 1968 Article 11, Florida Constitution
Idaho • Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1912 Article 3, Idaho Constitution
Illinois • Initiated constitutional amendment 1970 Article 14, Illinois Constitution
Maine • Initiated state statute (indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1908 Article 4, Pt. 3rd, Maine Constitution
Maryland • Veto referendum 1915 Article 16, Maryland Constitution
Massachusetts • Initiated constitutional amendment (indirect)
• Initiated state statute (indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1918 Article 48 and Article 74, Massachusetts Constitution
Michigan • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute (indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1908 Article 2 and Article 12, Michigan Constitution
Mississippi[2] • Initiated constitutional amendment (indirect) 1992 Article 15, Mississippi Constitution
Missouri • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1908 Article 3, Missouri Constitution
Montana • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1906 Article 3 and Article 14, Montana Constitution
Nebraska • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1912 Article 3, Nebraska Constitution
Nevada • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute (indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1905 Article 19, Nevada Constitution
New Mexico • Veto referendum 1911 Article 4, New Mexico Constitution
North Dakota • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1914 Article 3, North Dakota Constitution
Ohio • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute (indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1912 Article 2, Ohio Constitution
Oklahoma • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1907 Article 5, Oklahoma Constitution
Oregon • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1902 Article 4, Oregon Constitution
South Dakota • Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum		 1898 and 1972[3] Article 3 and Article 23, South Dakota Constitution
Utah • Initiated state statute (direct and indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1900 Article 6, Utah Constitution
Washington • Initiated state statute (direct and indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1912 Article 2, Washington Constitution
Wyoming • Initiated state statute (indirect)
• Veto referendum		 1968 Article 3, Wyoming Constitution

States without initiative and referendum

See also: States without initiative or referendum

There are 24 states that do not provide for statewide citizen-initiated ballot measures. However, municipal and local governments provide for local initiatives in some of these states.

Below is a list of those states that do not provide for statewide citizen-initiated ballot measures:

Laws governing the initiative process

See also: Laws governing the initiative process

Click on the links below to read about laws governing the initiative process in each state.

Changes to laws governing the initiative process

See also: Changes to laws governing ballot measures

Click on the links below to read about legislative changes to ballot measure processes during each year.

Signature requirements for citizen-initiated ballot measures

Click on the links below to read about signature requirements and deadlines for ballot initiatives in each state.

Current signature requirements for citizen-initiated ballot measures

There are 26 states that provide citizens with the power of initiative, referendum, or both. The following table shows the type of citizen-initiated ballot measures in each of those states. The table also provides the signature requirements for each type of measure for the 2023-2024 election cycle.

States that provide for types of citizen-initiated measures and current signature requirements
State Constitutional Signatures Statute Signatures Referendum Signatures
Alaska No N/A Yes 26,705 Yes 26,705
Arizona Yes 383,923 Yes 255,949 Yes 127,975
Arkansas Yes 90,704 Yes 72,563 Yes 54,422
California Yes 874,641 Yes 546,651 Yes 546,651
Colorado Yes 124,238 Yes 124,238 Yes 124,238
Florida Yes 891,589 No N/A No N/A
Idaho No N/A Yes 62,895 Yes 62,895
Illinois Yes 328,371 No N/A No N/A
Maine No N/A Yes 67,682 Yes 67,682
Maryland No N/A No N/A Yes 60,157
Massachusetts Yes 74,490 Yes 74,490 Yes 37,245[4]
Michigan Yes 446,198 Yes 356,958 Yes 223,099
Mississippi[5] Yes 106,190 No N/A No N/A
Missouri Yes 171,592[6] Yes 107,246[6] Yes 107,246[6]
Montana Yes 60,359 Yes 30,179 Yes 30,179
Nebraska Yes 126,838 Yes 88,787 Yes 63,419[7]
New Mexico No N/A No N/A Yes 71,475[8]
Nevada Yes 102,362 Yes 135,561 Yes 102,362
North Dakota Yes 31,164 Yes 15,582 Yes 15,582
Ohio Yes 413,487 Yes 248,092[9] Yes 248,093
Oklahoma Yes 172,993 Yes 92,263 Yes 57,664
Oregon Yes 156,231 Yes 117,173 Yes 78,115
South Dakota Yes 35,017 Yes 17,508 Yes 17,508
Utah No N/A Yes 134,298 Yes 134,298
Washington No N/A Yes 324,516 Yes 162,258
Wyoming No N/A Yes 29,730 Yes 29,730

See also

Foot notes

  1. ↑ Mississippi Supreme Court, "In Re Initiative Measure No. 65: Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler V Michael Watson, in His Official Capacity as Secretary of State for the State of Mississippi," May 14, 2021
  2. ↑ Mississippi has an initiated constitutional amendment process, including a signature distribution requirement based on five congressional districts. However, the requirements cannot be met, according to the Mississippi Supreme Court, because the state has four congressional districts following reapportionment in 2001.
  3. ↑ In 1898, voters approved an amendment providing for initiated state statutes and veto referendums. In 1972, voters approved a revised constitution, which included a process for initiated constitutional amendments.
  4. ↑ This was the number of signatures required to put a targeted law before voters. To suspend the enactment of the targeted law until the election, the requirement was 49,660 valid signatures.
  5. ↑ On May 14, 2021, the Mississippi Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision stating that it is impossible for any petition to meet the state's distribution requirement and has been impossible since congressional reapportionment in 2001. The six justices wrote, "... Whether with intent, by oversight, or for some other reason, the drafters of [the constitutional signature distribution requirement] wrote a ballot initiative process that cannot work in a world where Mississippi has fewer than five representatives in Congress. To work in today’s reality, it will need amending—something that lies beyond the power of the Supreme Court."
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 This is the minimum required if signatures are collected in the congressional districts with the lowest numbers of votes cast in 2020. The signature requirement varies based on what districts are targeted for signature collection.
  7. ↑ To suspend the enactment of the targeted law until the election, the requirement is 126,838 valid signatures.
  8. ↑ This was the number of signatures required to put a targeted law before voters. To suspend the enactment of the targeted law until the election, the requirement was 178,689 valid signatures.
  9. ↑ This is the requirement for two rounds of signatures to get an initiated statute on the ballot; half the number of signatures—124,046—is required to place the initiative before the legislature.
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