Last fall, I attended the first global forum on direct democracy, held in Aarau, Switzerland. Academics, journalists, and activists from 35 countries showed up. I can't explain how helpful the event was to my thinking. In California's daily political life, it's easy to think that the initiative and referendum process we have here are fixed things. But in a global perspective, we're a strange outlier, with an inflexible process.

The Initiative and Referendum Institute Europe, a leading sponsor of the forum, has just announced a second global forum, for Sept. 14-16 in South Korea. Details are here. I hope that Californians and Americans with an interest in direct democracy will find a way to join us. (Last time, the United States of America was represented by yours truly and Mike Gravel. With all due respect to Sen. Gravel, we can do better).

A third global forum is already in the works. It's likely to be held in California in 2010, a time when voters here may be considering whether to call a constitutional convention. More to come on this in the future.