Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,894,248,917 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

initiative
(redirected from Ballot initiatives)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.

A process of a participatory democracy that empowers the people to propose legislation and to enact or reject the laws at the polls independent of the lawmaking power of the governing body.

The purpose of an initiative, which is a type of election commenced and carried out by the people, is to permit the electorate to resolve questions where their elected representatives fail to do so or refuse to proceed with a change that the public desires.


See also: initial, original, overture, preparatory, rudimentary

INITIATIVE, French law. The name given to the important prerogative given by the charte constitutionelle, art. 16, to the late king to propose through his ministers projects of laws. 1 Toull. n. 39. See Veto.



Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Add definition
Mentioned in?  References in periodicals archive?   Legal browser?   Full browser?
 
Supporters tout ballot initiatives as a positive mechanism of direct democracy, but this Article makes two normative claims to the contrary.
Reviving a battle over initiatives Get ready for another round in the ongoing fight between those in favor of ballot initiatives and lawmakers who want tighter control of the initiative process.
Two California groups are collecting signatures for ballot initiatives that would restore gay marriage – or marriage equality – to California.
 
 
 
Legal Dictionary
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.