Citizenship

American direct democracy was adopted from Switzerland, which has had the initiative, referendum and the recall since the 19th century (and a tradition of direct democratic governance, through cantons, that is centuries old).

One of the many things that the Swiss have put to a vote is applications for citizenship. Such applications are voted upon directly at the local level. (Literally, if you apply for citizenship, you show up at what amounts to a town meeting and they make the decision right there). But the supreme court in Switzerland blocked such votes five years ago. In response, the conservative People's Party decided to sponsor a ballot initiative to reverse that decision and reinstate the local votes. One problem with the initiative is that it would not allow for appeals of citizenship decisions; the previous system allowed such appeals.

The result? This weekend, the Swiss voted the initiative down.