Part Two The Alaska Constitution and Commentary, Art.XI The Initiative, Referendum, and Recall

Like most of the western states, Alaska's constitution has some populist features, chief among which are provisions in Article XI for the initiative, referendum, and recall. These measures give the people the right to originate law, to respond to—including to repeal—laws passed by the legislature, and to remove officials from office. Whether the constitution should include such provisions was an issue of debate in the Alaska constitutional convention. Some delegates had a healthy distrust of the legislature and lobbyists and wanted to secure the rights of the...