Referendum

The referendum sometimes can be the last refuge of scoundrels. So it is with Thailand's prime minister, who is attempting to fight off his ouster by calling for a referendum on whether he should remain in office.

The ballot title of a referendum legalizing slot machines in Maryland suggests slots would be authorized only to fund education. In fact, slightly less than half of the money would go to education, the League of Women Voters reports. Such misleading titles are common in referenda that are placed on the ballot by legislatures, since they can draft the titles themselves. In citizen initiatives, someone independent of the authors -- typically an attorney general or secretary of state -- writes the title.

The payday loan industry in Ohio is seeking a referendum on a new law regulating the industry. A key feature of the law is a 28 percent limit on the interest rates they can charge their borrowers. (Under current practice, rates can be as high as 391 percent). The industry turned in referendum signatures Sunday afternoon. If enough prove to be valid (and there appears to be quite a cushion, 421,000 turned in to make a standard of 241,000), the measure will be on the November ballot.

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.

According to the language that established it, the Children's Trust in Miami-Dade County must be renewed in this Tuesday's primary elections by county voters. The trust dedicates 50 cents of every $1,000 in assessed property value to improving the lives of children. The money goes to child care, parent counseling, and school health teams. It has bipartisan support. What could be the problem?

Poor ballot design. In several Dade County precincts, the measure to reauthorize the Children's Trust has been placed on the back of the ballot. So voters will have to turn over their ballot to find it. Let's hope they do. Or this could be another major disaster for Florida election officials.

Supporters of bringing statewide initiatives and referenda to Connecticut are campaigning for a November measure that would establish a state constitutional convention with the goal of establishing direct democracy there. But big money interests, mostly on the left, are lining up against the November measure. The Associated Press explains.

'PRO-SMACKERS FORCE REFERENDUM' reads the headline on this story about a New Zealand referendum of a law against spanking your children. The referendum will probably be part of a vote-by-mail election next year.

A referendum on environmentally sensitive lands legislation was supposed to be on the ballot in Flagler County, Florida. But the local paper -- because of a "clerical error" -- did not publish a legal notice of the referendum in time. So get this: the measure will appear on the ballot, but any votes for or against it will not count. The referendum will re-appear on the November 4 ballot. And those votes will count. The paper that messed up has details.

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.