Lawmaking by ballot

The use of state ballot initiatives to make law is the focus of the National Direct Democracy Conference, being held in the Rotunda June 8 and 9 and hosted by U.Va.'s Center for Governmental Studies.

Twenty-four states presently allow individuals and groups to propose laws for direct voter consideration at the ballot box, instead of having legislators, as their representatives, craft the laws. Statewide ballot initiatives provide direct democracy, as opposed to representative democracy.

The conference will be webcast live on the center's homepage at www.virginia.edu/govstudies