Direct and Professional Legislation

Direct legislation is what is meant when referring to the initiative process and referendum opportunities that some states have.  Initiative permits a designated number of voters to propose a law or constitutional amendment by petition, and it becomes law if the majority of the voters vote this way in a subsequent election. (pg. 624) Twenty four states currently have this ability.  A referendum allows citizens to vote on and possibly overturn, recently passed laws.  These can be on legislatively proposed amendments to a states’ constitution.  All of our states except Delaware require the referendum for the ratification of constitutional amendments.  Direct legislation gives the citizens the direct vote, instead of the usual trying to push through of a particular law or state constitution change through elected delegates.  This gives the voters more of a voice in what they would like to see their governing policies actually be.  I will use Colorado, who voted to have the recreational use of marijuana as an example.

Professional legislation is an elected full time job as a member of that legislation, such as those in our Senate and House of Representatives.  They have been elected to assist in making and creating or altering new or existing laws for the people they represent.  The issue here is that some of these representatives are more focused on their chosen political party they represent than that of the voice of the citizens themselves.  A legislative body normally creates and passes laws, and these legislators are chosen by the citizens, but the politics within the politics can alter or change the true beliefs of what the people want versus what their elected officials vote for or against, based on party bias.

These are the weaknesses and strengths.  The people can have a voice, but many times those thoughts and beliefs are dismissed through affiliation of the representatives that were put into office.  Not always are the citizen’s voices, even when the majority is present, made into law.