Citizens in Charge

Reason Magazine’s May issue highlights Citizens in Charge Foundation’s President Paul Jacob. In an article entitled “List: Citizen Empowerment” it asks what are the “three barriers to citizen participation in politics.”

Jacob provides three basic challenges activists have encountered and how to overcome them.

He describes the first barrier as:

1.) Initiatives, referenda, and recalls are too rare: “Most U.S. cities have some form of these citizen empowerment tools, but most states don’t. We need all three—so voters can act through the ballot to pass needed reforms, check laws passed by legislators, or replace an elected official posthaste.”

2.) Legislators limit petitioning: “Three separate federal circuit courts have overturned residency laws as unconstitutional. But other restrictions abound, such as laws mandating that petitioners be paid hourly, rather than per signature collected, which increases petitioning cost. Such regulations stymie voters’ control of government.”

3.) Citizen communication is under attack: “Unlike the often (thankfully) gridlocked, lethargic Federal Election Commission, state and local prosecutors are increasingly persecuting citizens for mailing postcards to neighbors, taking flyers door to door, or putting up yard signs. If citizens don’t properly file reports or make required disclosures, their ‘crimes’ carry fines and even jail time.”

For the full list and to number two and three check out Reason Magazine.