Petitioning For Popular Power

IN EVERY STATE IN THE COUNTRY (USA), it is possible to arrange for a proposal to be placed on the ballot to amend the state constitution by collecting a sufficient number of signatures on a petition, and the process has gained popularity in recent years, as state after state has been petitioned to legalize marijuana, prohibit fracking, among other proposals. As a result, ballots become long, with issue after issue submitted to the voters, and not only voting, but preparing to vote by becoming informed on the issues begins to require more time and effort, as the people are called upon to make more decisions and choices. To some people, mostly conservatives, this is not a good thing. There is now talk of raising the bar, to make it more difficult to amend the law by popular petitioning, due to the fact that state constitutions and laws are being changed increasingly often through the popular will of the petition process. Advocates of making the process more difficult point to the lengthening ballots, the instability and frequent amending of constitutions, and the alleged uncertainty and instability this causes. To make it more difficult to petition the state to place proposals before the voters would simply be a matter of increasing the number of signatures required, or limiting the amount of time allowed for gathering signatures. But don't believe a word of it. Instead, go out, start a petition, a petition which asserts the right of the citizenry to petition the government. fight back against the attack on democracy which the movement to make the process more difficult constitutes. Petitioning the government, any level of government, local, state, or federal, is the most fundamental act of democracy, the very process by which we the people can directly make our wishes known, rather than waiting passively in the background while only elected politicians decide what does and does not go on the ballot to be submitted to the voters. Why make democracy more difficult to practice, other than an elitist desire to keep power out of the hands of the people? I would much rather spend all day in the voting booth, voting on scores of proposals and issues, than turn my sacred democratic right over to elected officials exclusively.