By overturning ballot initiatives, more lawmakers are rejecting the will of their voters

The Daily 202: By overturning ballot initiatives, more lawmakers are rejecting the will of their voters

By Joan E. Greve
August 14 at 8:17 AM

THE BIG IDEA: In June, D.C. voters made a surprising but decisive choice. By a 12-point margin, the District approved raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour for restaurant workers and others who earn tips.

Less than 24 hours later, at least one council member was already trying to overturn the decision made by voters. “It’s not really the will of the people; it happens to be the will of the 17 percent of people who showed up and voted,” said Councilman Jack Evans.

Now seven of the council’s 13 members, plus the mayor, have sided with lobbyists for the restaurant industry and endorsed a plan to disregard Initiative 77. They worry that eateries will go out of business because of higher labor costs and rising prices if the measure goes into effect.

The fight here reflects a national trend in which state lawmakers of both parties are persistently working to overturn decisions made by voters at the ballot box.

The strategy of putting policy questions directly to voters has become more popular in recent years. (In 2016, some 76 initiatives appeared on ballots across the country. That’s the highest number in a decade.)

So have attacks on the results. In the past two years alone, legislators have filed more than 100 bills across 24 states aimed at reversing ballot measures, according to the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which focuses on advancing progressive priorities through ballot initiatives.

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