On January 3, 1911, Governor Johnson set out his reform agenda in his inaugural address. He argued that the purpose of government is to achieve the good of the people as directed by the people. Too often, since the Constitution of 1879, private interests have defined the public policy interests of the California government. For the government to live up to the ideals of American democracy, the Governor and his progressive coalition sought changes in three areas: first, in the electoral arena, the people should have more of a role in selecting candidates through primaries. Second, the role of the people to directly propose and make laws should be expanded through the addition of three mechanisms of direct democracy: the initiative, the referendum, and the recall. Third, the government should actively regulate private interests, especially those with monopoly power.
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Governor Hiram Johnson (public domain; Flamehorn via Wikimedia)
Under the Constitution of 1879, the legislature had the power to submit changes to the California Constitution through the referendum process. On October 10, 1911, the Progressives submitted twenty-three amendments for the approval of Californians in the special election. Of note are the following (Statement of the Vote of California, 1911):
Direct Primaries: Selection of party nominees for general elections by voters themselves
Women’s Suffrage
Voters can directly place initiatives and referenda on the ballot
Voters can recall public officials
The legislature can create a system of workers’ compensation insurance
The state railroad commission can regulate companies as public utilities
In his inaugural address, Governor Johnson stated:
“I do not by any means believe the initiative, the referendum, and the recall are the panacea for all our political ills, yet they do give to the electorate the power of action when desired, and they do place in the hands of the people the means by which they may protect themselves.”
The Progressive Reforms of 1911 ended the power of the Southern Pacific Railroad to control California politics. Advocates of direct democracy argued that the legislature itself needed to be checked and regulated by the people through the initiative, the referendum, and the recall. Each device has specific procedures:
Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Progressive Reforms of 1911 (Rules regarding the Initiative, Referendum, and Recall, Source: Secretary of State of California “Ballot Measures”)
Mechanism of Direct Democracy for Statewide Elections
Procedure
The Initiative
Initiative Statute: Placed on the ballot by a petition signed by 5% of the voters in the last gubernatorial election. The initiative passes by a simple majority of voters.
Initiative Constitutional Amendment: Placed on the ballot by a petition signed by 8% of the voters in the last gubernatorial election. Passes by a simple majority of the voters
The referendum
Popular referendum: voters repeal an existing law, same procedure as an initiative
Legislative referendum: measure approved by ⅔ of the legislature and then by a simple majority of the voters (already present in the Constitution of 1879)
The recall
12% of the number of voters in the last gubernatorial election must sign the petition, a simple majority of voters to recall
The Progressive reforms of 1911 added direct democracy to the Constitution of 1879. It allows the people to make policy directly to circumvent the state legislature and Governor. In the 1912-2019 period, 2,018 initiatives were circulated. Of the 377 that qualified for the ballot, 133 were approved, 54 of which were constitutional amendments (“Secretary of State of California Ballot Measures Summary Data”).
