Citizen Lawmakers [Paperback]

David Schmidt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 1991

Presents the stories of the individual activists and political groups that revitalized this use of Initiative and Referendum.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[B]oth an engrossing history and a guide showing how citizens can make their own laws directly, at the ballot box, when elected officials are unresponsive." --Ralph Nader "As one of the nation's leading authorities on the referendum and initiative processes, David Schmidt has prepared a thoughtful, positive overview of one of the most significant electoral phenomena of our time." --Edmund G. Brown, Jr., former Governor of California "The definitive work on citizens and ballot initiatives... This study offers citizen activists a manual on how to run a citizen campaign during the ballot initiative revolution and presents, in the appendixes, a comprehensive data on initiative voting in each of the states. The contribution to citizen activism and participatory democracy is the most significant characteristic of Schmidt's volume. The book is well written, well researched, and important. Strongly recommended for citizens interested in being counted once again in the American political system." --Choice "An important work that addresses a wide audience... Unlike much of the work written on the subject, this book provides the reader with both the historical perspective and empirical data... This work should be read by those interested in the political process." --Perspectives on Political Science "The book may convince some readers that ordinary people make better policy than politicians do." --California Lawyer "Important reading for those who aspire to influence public policy... [Schmidt] is at his absolute best and the book is at its most invaluable when it focuses on how to effectively us I&R." --Chicago Enterprise"

Product Details

• Paperback: 439 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (June 29, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877229031
• ISBN-13: 978-0877229032
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,933,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ballot Propositions -- The "Wild Card" of Politics, June 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Citizen Lawmakers (Paperback)

Have you ever said, in frustration, "There ought to be a law"? If so, the book Citizen Lawmakers is for you. Every election day in America, millions of voters decide not just whom to elect -- the voters make the laws directly, at the ballot box -- by voting on ballot propositions, also known as Initiatives and Referendums.

Citizen Lawmakers answers all your questions about this growing political phenomenon. Why do some states have controversial ballot proposition campaigns, and others don't? How did voters get the power to enact laws? How can I get a proposition on the ballot in my home city or state? What kinds of laws have the voters enacted this way? How did California's tax-cutting Proposition 13 come about? Why do so many politicians hate citizen-sponsored ballot propositions? It's all here.