Ballots without initiatives

More about elections. 

In the patchwork election systems of the U.S., many states allow direct voter initiated ballot measures. In some of the states, these can be constitutional amendments, in others statutes only.

Whatever one may think about the advantages and disadvantages as well as the complexities behind the process, two things are certain.

The first is that a few state constitutions will very soon rival the bible in both the number of pages and internal contradictions.

The other is that getting initiatives on the ballot requires a lot of effort and - for some - huge amounts of money. Money is spent long before the actual election.

Each initiative must collect a certain number of signatures in order to be included on the ballot. Signature collectors will set up a cart or a card table outside of shops, at sports or music events, where ever there is lots of foot traffic. Collectors usually get paid a set amount of money per signature.

And this is where it gets really interesting, because the amount of money offered varies so tremendously. It reflects the expected popularity of an initiative as well as the benefits the initiative's organizers expect. Indian tribes paid up to $ 7.50 for every valid signature in drives to open casinos or expand to new locations.

The tobacco industry paid big amount too, not to bring in more money but for the purpose of not losing more.

In Germany, there can be no voter initiatives at the federal level (guess why) but there can be at the state level.  At the federal level, there are two cases in which the government must put a proposed change in front of the voters: when the national organization changes (more states, less states) and if a constitution is to be approved. 

When the Wall came down, those who had expected a referendum found themselves outflanked because the construct used was that the East German states "joined" -- no referendum required.

Post-WWII history also means the current German constitution was never approved in a referendum and never called "a constitution" by its framers. But everybody, including the Germans, thinks of it as a one.