Ben Case is a researcher, writer, and long-time organizer based in the Rust Belt. He is a research scholar at the Center for Work and Democracy, where he leads the Ballot Initiatives Project.
Bernie and AOC have a national platform, an energized base, and the infrastructure to gather small donations. Now they need winnable policies to back. It seems impossible in the MAGA-controlled government — unless they turn to state ballot initiatives.
Ballot initiatives can push policy to the left, rebuild a fighting working-class political base, and prepare movements to govern democratically.
Atlanta’s Democratic leadership is trying to build a massive police urban-warfare training facility before the public can stop it. The outcome will set a precedent for the political future, with implications well beyond the city itself.
In Ohio, where the state legislature is solidly Republican, people voted directly to protect abortion rights and legalize marijuana last week. Once again, ballot initiatives have shown voters to be far more progressive than their lawmakers.
Ohio’s Issue 1 was about preventing a popular decision on abortion rights in the short term and undercutting majority influence over policymaking in the long term. Its failure is a win for democracy — but it’s part of a larger campaign that isn’t over yet.
In the midterms, ballot initiatives cut through partisan polarization to reveal majorities for higher wages, expanded health care access, and abortion rights. That’s why many state-level Republicans are attempting to undermine the ballot initiative process.
As our representative system has become less democratic and more oligarchical, ballot initiatives have become more important to passing majoritarian legislation. The Left should take note and proceed accordingly.