Ballot Initiatives and Majority Rule.

Though the debate pro and con over the initiative process has many aspects, the question at the heart of the debate is majoritarianism. This paper--which is unfinished and in progress--attempts to place the debate over initiatives against a background of theoretical discussion on the subject of majority rule. A preliminary section considers a variety of claims that the initiative is not really a majoritarian process, but rejects them. The rest of the paper in its present form, deals with mid-20th century theorist Willmoore Kendall. Early in his career he was a "self-confessed" defender of "absolute majority rule." Later, he developed a more nuanced position. Later versions will also consider Elaine Spitz, whose "Majority Rule" in the 1980s examined how majorities are formed. It is not expected that the paper, when completed, will dramatically influence the debate over direct democracy, but it may help show how the issues in that debate match with more general debates over majority rule. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]