Legislatures enacted more pieces of legislation related to direct democracy—ballot initiatives, referendums, and recall petitions—in 2023 than the previous five years. In 2023, 45 bills and resolutions were enacted, which exceeds the annual average of 32 for this period. The previous largest number of bills enacted was 44 in 2019.
While there was an increase in the number of bills enacted, there was a decrease in bills designed to make the initiative process more difficult. In 2023, five such pieces of legislation were enacted, which is less than the average of seven.
There was an increase in bills designed to make the initiative process less difficult. In 2023, four such pieces of legislation were enacted, which is higher than the average of two. In Maine and South Dakota, two of this year’s changes to make the initiative process less difficult were in response to court rulings.
