Research Paper on:
Progressive Reform in California

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
of state government design have been inspired by progressive reform. One of the most important of these is the referendum/initiative process. Under that process critical issues can be  decided by the voting public rather than by elected representatives of that public. Kristina Wilfore, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center in Washington emphasizes the importance of  this reform measure noting that it has increased voter turnout from three to nine percent in states such as California that have implemented the initiative process (Wood, 2004).  The electoral reform has been of particular interest in California. University of Southern Californias John Matsusaka, the founder of the Initiative and  Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California, has contended that the initiative process has resulted in:  "a significant degree of voter interest in changing the nature of elections that affect them" (Wood, 2004).  As a consequence laws have been passed in the state that wouldnt have had much chance at all of being passed if that passage had been  dependent on the Legislature (Inskeep and Montagne, 2004). These include laws relating to limitations on the length of term elected representatives can serve and limitations on campaign financing (Inskeep  and Montagne, 2004). Californias State Constitution has thus been in a state of fluctuation as various revisions such as those just listed are made. This fluctuation is,  in fact, fare from over as various Constitutional based issues continue to come to the forefront under the referendum/initiation process. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger