Referenda

Bolivia has become the globe's most referendum-happy state. Provinces there have been holding referenda on greater autonomy from the central government. Earlier this summer, President Evo Morales remained in office after surviving a referendum. Now Morales, who is engaged in a struggle with those provinces over his plans to make the economy more socialist, is putting his proposals to the public in a Dec. 7 referendum. If he wins, he may see provinces leave the country. And that could lead to civil war.

No fewer than six measures that may or may not be on Arizona's November ballot now face legal challenges. The Republic provides an overview.

In states such as California, where Democrats control the legislature and most elected posts, Democratic leaders often rail against the use of direct democracy and work to prevent measures. Republicans paint themselves as supporters of initiatives and the people.

In Utah, however, the political dynamic is different -- and the parties have different positions. After seeing a school voucher bill and other legislation reversed by referendum, GOP legislative leaders are trying to restrict use of the referendum. And the state Democratic party has made the protection of direct democracy a top priority. The Desert News has more.

Referenda are not conducted only by governments. Even professional associations hold them. And the American Psychological Association is holding its very first, and on an important public topic: whether psychologists may participate ethically in interrogations at Guantanamo. Members are voting now. An NPR story on this is here.

USC's Initiative & Referendum Institute has released their excellent and thorough review of ballot measures across the country. The headline is the number of measures involving social issues. The file is a PDF attachment to this post.

MANCHESTER CONGESTED: Manchester, England, is preparing to hold a referendum on a plan to establish a congestion pricing system for traffic in the city. Such plans, which charge motorists on a sliding scale based on the traffic conditions and time of day, have gained favor in Europe and are being talked about in the U.S., most notably in New York City.

MINDANAO REFERENDUM: Muslim rebels and the Philippine government have agreed to hold a referendum in Mindanao to allow citizens there to determine whether they want to become part of the county's existing Muslim autonomous region, according to news reports.

ECUADOR CONSTITUTION: The referendum on a new constitution for Ecuador is set for Sept. 28. The document has provisions that likely will produce more votes in the tiny South American country. Under the new constitution, the president would be able to ask voters to dissolve Congress, and the Congress would be able to ask voters to kick out the president.

In February, Californians voted to ratify four of the state's compacts with indian tribes that operate casinos. The public vote was part of a referendum forced by union leaders who argued that the compacts did not have enough protection for workers. But supporters of the compacts, including tribal and legislative leaders and Gov. Schwarzenegger, told voters the compacts would produce big money that would help balance the budget. As the Press Enterprise shows in this story, that hasn't happened.

Indiana does not have statewide initiatives or referenda. But the legislature there, in an effort to put downward pressure on property taxes, passed a new requirement in March: that a local referendum be conducted on large-scale construction. The referendum is required on K-8 school construction of $10 million or more, high school construction of $20 million or more, and all other public projects of $12 million or more. The referenda have begun, and the Journal Gazette, the paper in Ft. Wayne, takes a thorough look at the change.

Partial results show a big victory for those supporting "autonomy" for the gas-rich province of Tarija. It's the fourth Bolivian province to vote for autonomy from the central government this year. A recall vote on President Evo Morales is scheduled for August. Morales says that, if he survives the recall, he will push for a new constitution that would put more power in the hands of the central government. Given Bolivia history, it's possible that in that country, these autonomy referenda aer serving as a prelude to civil war.

It appears that a new genre of referenda may be emerging from the Arizona dessert.

Communities across the southwest have been forced to adopt new dust control plans to comply with state and federal pollution laws. But the kind of longstanding businesses that kick up a lot of dust -- horse farms especially -- see these laws as a mortal threat. They appear to be taking to the local ballots to try to block these laws. First came a referendum in Scottsdale, Arizona, which was pulled from the ballot after a legal challenge. Now comes a referendum in Cave Creek.