On October 10, 1911, California became the twelfth state to establish an initiative and referendum process. On that date, California voters approved two constitutional amendments related to direct democracy.
The first, Proposition 7, created the initiative and referendum process. It gave Californians the power to propose constitutional amendments, state statutes, and veto referendums. The measure was approved by 76.4% of voters. The second, Proposition 8, established a process for recalling both state and local elected officials. The measure was approved by 76.8% of voters.
A column in the Fresno Morning Republican stated that there was no committee or other organized opposition to either Proposition 7 or 8.
In contrast, multiple committees supported the constitutional amendments. Two were the National Referendum League and the Lincoln/Roosevelt League.
The National Referendum League had, in the decade preceding 1911, campaigned for the initiative and referendum process in both localities and statewide across the country. Judson King, a spokesperson for the League, framed the constitutional amendments in California as part of a broader trend in the nation.
In a column promoting the approval of the propositions, he listed the states that had passed or were considering an initiative and referendum process and said, “It is safe to say that no fundamental political form has made such rapid progress during the past thirteen years as has the Initiative and Referendum.”
The Lincoln/Roosevelt League, a group of Progressive Republicans and the predecessor to the Progressive Party, is also credited with pushing for the initiative and referendum process in California.
The League endorsed Hiram Johnson in the 1910 gubernatorial race. After his election, he worked with members of the state legislature who were affiliated with the Lincoln/Roosevelt League to place Propositions 7 and 8 on the ballot for voters to decide.
Following the October 1911 election, after voters approved the propositions, Johnson said, “[the] initiative, referendum and recall have carried overwhelmingly. The result, of course, affords every lover of true democracy the most intense satisfaction. Today has demonstrated the people do think and are fit to govern themselves. California has indeed a people’s government.”
Between 1911 and 2024, California voters have decided 444 ballot initiatives. Of those, 216 were directly initiated state statutes, 133 were initiated constitutional amendments, 51 were veto referendums, 41 were combined initiated constitutional amendments and state statutes, and three were indirectly initiated state statutes.
Of those 444 initiated measures, 159 (36%) were approved by voters and 285 (64%) were defeated. Since the 1910s, citizen-initiated measures have been less likely to receive voter approval than legislatively referred measures. During that period, voters approved 69% of the 862 legislatively referred measures.
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