REPORT: State Legislatures Continue Attacks on Direct Democracy in 2024
Washington, DC — Today, the Fairness Project released a new report, Ballot Measure Attacks in 2024, outlining the state of threats to direct democracy and active legislation designed to prevent voters from having a say at the ballot box.
READ: Ballot Measure Attacks in 2024
In response to voters’ support of progressive ballot measures in recent years, right-wing politicians have been executing a coordinated and persistent attack on the ballot measure process. They’ve proposed everything from stricter signature thresholds, banning certain topics, and implementing minority rule. And while these attacks predated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the success of recent abortion-rights ballot measures has thrown fuel on anti-democracy extremists’ fire.
“The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade inspired extremist politicians to get even more creative with their attacks on the ballot measure process, so that they can block voters from having a say on abortion and countless other issues,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project. “We condemn these attempts to silence voters and we’re fighting back. Voters deserve to have a chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box, and direct democracy must be protected — whether out-of-touch politicians like it or not.”
The Fairness Project is actively working to defend the ballot measure process from these right-wing attacks. In 2021, the Fairness Project launched the Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign and has have since organized more than $30 million to protect direct democracy so that voters can continue to use this tool for generations.
Read the report here to see a recap of attacks on ballot measures from the right and an overview of key battlegrounds for direct democracy in 2024.