Voice of the people. Vladimir Abarinov - about American referendums

Kenedy County, Texas, named after 19th-century shipowner Miffin Kenedy, has 259 registered voters. State law does not require voters to indicate their party affiliation, so we don't know how many are Democrats and how many are Republicans. Eight (8) people came to the second round of the Republican primaries for the Senate elections. Six voted for current Senator John Cornyn, two for Ken Paxton, who is actively supported by Donald Trump. The result, as the president likes to put it, was a landslide victory for Cornyn: he collected 75 percent of the vote. In Loving County in the same state with a population of 96 people, the picture was the opposite: 13 people showed up at the polling station, 8 (61.5 percent) voted for Paxton, five for Cornyn.

Paxton eventually won the primaries, but this is not about that now, but about the fact that every vote counts. The current season of primaries is characterized by unprecedented intensity of political passions and record spending by candidates. Unlike the primaries of United Russia, which mean absolutely nothing (as stated in the very first article of its “Regulations on the procedure for conducting preliminary voting”: “Preliminary voting ... is not a procedure for nominating candidates”), in the United States it is the primaries that knock experienced fighters out of the saddle and give the palm to neophytes, as happened with Donald Trump in 2016.

At every election, American voters take part in referendums.

This year's elections will determine whether Republicans can break the historical pattern in which the president's party loses midterm elections and the president becomes a lame duck for his remaining two years. But when voters go to the polls on November 3, they will be choosing not only a congressman, a senator, a governor, a mayor (where they are up for re-election) and members of the state legislature, but also a host of local officials: a sheriff, a treasurer, a district attorney, a city councilman, a school board member, and so on and so forth. They will also be given ballot papers with referendum questions. Yes, at every election American voters take part in referendums. As of June 7 , 121 referendum questions are on the ballots of 37 states, and this is only on a statewide basis, but sometimes on a city or village scale.

History has preserved curious examples. In 2010, Denver County residents in Colorado were considering whether to create a commission on extraterrestrial affairs to "help ensure the health, safety, and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors regarding potential encounters or interactions with extraterrestrial intelligence or their vehicles." 82 percent of Denverites voted against it. In 1997, Cincinnati voters were asked whether to give the city zoo the right to charge visitors a tax to build a new elephant facility. Otherwise, the zoo threatened to send its four Asian elephants, including a pregnant female, to other zoos. Voters decided not to, and the two elephants were leased to a zoo in Louisville, Kentucky. The mini pigs of Piqua, Ohio were also unlucky. In 1993, its residents were deciding whether to recognize the pygmy pig as a pet. And by a majority of 725 votes (there are 20 thousand inhabitants in the city) they decided that these were livestock, which were not allowed to be kept in a city apartment.

Evening Newsletter - Subscription widget compact

The initiator of a referendum can be any private person or group of persons. In order for a question to appear on the ballot, a certain number of signatures must be collected (signatories do not necessarily have to approve the proposed measure, but only support its submission to a referendum). For example, the referendum on mini pigs was initiated by a couple who said they would rather leave the city than part with their pig, Roxy. If we are talking about an amendment to the state constitution, then legislators are required to submit it to a referendum.

This is the voice of the people. The government cannot ignore it. Not eligible

This year's referendums concern a variety of aspects of life. In six congressional districts in four states, citizens are deciding whether to allow AI developers to build data centers that pollute the environment, deplete water supplies and raise the cost of electricity. Five states—Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia—amended their ballot laws to prohibit noncitizens from voting. In Colorado, Maine and Washington, citizen-initiated proposals limiting the participation of transgender athletes on public school and college women's sports teams are on the 2026 ballot. All three states have traditionally been heavily Democratic, so the vote should show how popular the measure is outside of Republican-leaning states.

In North Dakota, voters must decide whether to give schoolchildren free breakfast and lunch—or just breakfast. In Washington state, one of the referendums concerns the right of parents to know everything that happens to their child at school, from the content of the curriculum to medical care. It would seem that what is wrong with this? But opponents argue: not all children live in prosperous families; sometimes it is easier and safer for a child to turn to a teacher he trusts for help.

Initiatives from different states are going in opposite directions. Gun control is on the ballot in Massachusetts. In Arkansas, on the contrary, it is proposed to add to the state constitution the right “to use arms for lawful hunting, recreational shooting and other lawful purposes,” and also write that the right to own and bear arms is “a natural, fundamental and inalienable right of the individual, which shall not be infringed.”

Yes, this is a discord, sometimes funny and awkward, but this is the voice of the people. The government cannot ignore it. Has no right.

Read Freedom on Telegram Make Freedom a priority source on Google Install the Mobile application
Radio Liberty