CITIZEN BALLOT INITIATIVES
APRIL 30, 2021
Across the United States, a number of ballot measures have been created, voted on, and passed in the wake of the murder of George Floyd:
One question comes to mind: what would the United States look like were that every state and local government allowed direct initiated statutes: citizen-initiated ballot measures? Would the electorate become more engaged, not just every 4 years in the voting booth or after every tragic incident that leads to peaceful marches in the streets, but become more engaged every day in the process of informing itself on the issues that it could influence?
Would we have the deployment of body cameras for all police, firefighters, EMTs and other first responders, with mandatory body cam use in the field, such that body cameras that are disabled intentionally by armed first responders during an excessive force or deadly force incident are grounds for immediate termination as well as obstruction of justice charges? Would we make sure that settlements for excessive force and deadly force incidents are paid for by the offending officers themselves, advocating that the wages and pensions of convicted law enforcement officers be garnished as a part of sentencing? Would we have all law enforcement officers take polygraph tests prior to employment and after each excessive force or deadly force incident, to screen for white supremacist activity?
Would we make gang databases transparent, end School Resource Officer programs, and see the majority of officers on patrol without firearms? Would we see an end to the disenfranchisement of ex-felons or further, might we see an end to the disenfranchisement of the currently incarcerated, given that the currently incarcerated can run for federal office? Would we bend faster the arc of the moral universe towards justice and correctness in every state and every city where citizens were so engaged, as the power of police unions was at last matched by the power of the people?
- Los Angeles County, California Measure J
- Oakland, California Measure S1
- San Diego, California Measure B
- San Francisco, California Proposition D
- San Francisco, California Proposition E
- San Jose, California Measure G
- Sonoma County, California Measure P
- DuPage County, Illinois Law Enforcement Budget Advisory Referendum
- DuPage County, Illinois Law Enforcement Injury Risk Training Advisory Referendum
- Akron, Ohio Release of Recordings from Police Body and Dashboard Cameras after Use of Force Charter Amendment
- Columbus, Ohio Issue 2
- Portland, Oregon Measure 26-217
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Question 1
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Question 3
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Independent Citizen Police Review Board Charter Amendment
- Kyle, Texas Proposition F
- King County, Washington Charter Amendment 1
- King County, Washington Charter Amendment 4
- King County, Washington Charter Amendment 5
- King County, Washington Charter Amendment 6
One question comes to mind: what would the United States look like were that every state and local government allowed direct initiated statutes: citizen-initiated ballot measures? Would the electorate become more engaged, not just every 4 years in the voting booth or after every tragic incident that leads to peaceful marches in the streets, but become more engaged every day in the process of informing itself on the issues that it could influence?
Would we have the deployment of body cameras for all police, firefighters, EMTs and other first responders, with mandatory body cam use in the field, such that body cameras that are disabled intentionally by armed first responders during an excessive force or deadly force incident are grounds for immediate termination as well as obstruction of justice charges? Would we make sure that settlements for excessive force and deadly force incidents are paid for by the offending officers themselves, advocating that the wages and pensions of convicted law enforcement officers be garnished as a part of sentencing? Would we have all law enforcement officers take polygraph tests prior to employment and after each excessive force or deadly force incident, to screen for white supremacist activity?
Would we make gang databases transparent, end School Resource Officer programs, and see the majority of officers on patrol without firearms? Would we see an end to the disenfranchisement of ex-felons or further, might we see an end to the disenfranchisement of the currently incarcerated, given that the currently incarcerated can run for federal office? Would we bend faster the arc of the moral universe towards justice and correctness in every state and every city where citizens were so engaged, as the power of police unions was at last matched by the power of the people?