One More Piece to Make Us Puzzle

Abstract

This article examines how the presence and usage of the initiative process impact the electoral chances of state legislators. Using individual-level data on state legislators across the states from 1970 to 1989, the authors find that the presence and frequency of use of the initiative do not hurt legislators' electoral chances. In fact, under certain institutional settings, the initiative process can have a small beneficial impact on legislator's reelection fortunes. In addition, the initiative can insulate legislators' electoral chances from national economic conditions. The authors argue these findings are compatible with the notion of state legislators adapting to the initiative process.