Some states offer their citizens an opportunity to directly propose and enact state laws and state constitutional amendments. This process, called the initiative process, can be used to outlaw the death penalty in your state. While there are quite a few states that offer an initiative process, California and Oregon are two states that utilize the practice often., The first step in the initiative process is to draft the proposed law you would like enacted. As the petitioner, you can certainly choose to write the language yourself. However, your chances of success will increase drastically if you hire help. If you are writing the language on your own, make sure you do some research into how statutes and constitutional amendments are worded. A poorly drafted law is unlikely to get the support necessary to make it on the ballot. The proposed law should be persuasive, succinct, and it should follow general legal rules of construction (e.g., where to put commas, sentence structure, etc.).


If you want to pay to get help, hire a lawyer. Lawyers have a unique understanding of how laws are worded and drafted. If you do not know any lawyers, contact your state bar association's lawyer referral service. After answering a few general questions, you will be put in contact with qualified lawyers in your area. Try to find a lawyer who has experience with your state's ballot initiative process. In a state like California, you may even be able to find a lawyer who specializes in this area of the law.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, or you want to take a different route to get help, consider petitioning your state's legislative counsel to help you. In Oregon, for example, the Legislative Counsel will assist you in drafting a proposed initiative so long as you get 50 or more signatures from electors requesting help and the Legislative Counsel Committee determines that the initiative is likely to make it on the ballot.If you get help from the legislative counsel in your state, they will draft the law with your input.
 Once the proposed law has been written, you need to submit it to the state government for review. For example, in California, you must send in your proposed law, along with a written request asking that a title and summary of the proposal be written.


As a part of your proposal you will also have to submit certain declarations and certifications promising that you are proposing the initiative for proper purposes. For example, in California, you will have to declare, under penalty of perjury, that you are a citizen of the US and California and that you are over the age of 18. Also, you will have to sign a certification promising that you will not use any signatures you collect for improper purposes.
When you submit your proposal to the state, you will have to pay a fee. In California, for example, the fee is $2,000. The fee is placed in trust and will be refunded to you as long as your initiative makes it on the ballot within two years. However, if your initiative fails to make the ballot, you will forfeit the fee., Once the state government reviews your proposal and creates a working title and summary, they will post your proposal on their website and facilitate a 30-day public review process. During this 30-day period, any member of the public can submit comments about your proposal. The government will provide you with these comments and give you an opportunity to amend your proposal.


Make sure you amend your proposal quickly as you will only have a limited amount of time to do so. In California, for example, you will not be able to amend your proposal once five days have elapsed since the public comment period ended., After the public review process, you will have to format a formal petition, which will be the document you circulate in order to gather signatures. The format of your petition is dictated by state law. For example, in California, your title and summary must be at least 12-point bold font and the body of the petition must be at least 8-point font. There must be a heading, title, summary, the entire proposed text, and a signature section.Check with your state to ensure you follow the directions. If you fail to create an adequate petition, your initiative will not move forward.
 In order to qualify for the ballot, your initiative must be signed by the required number of qualified voters. For example, in California, you will have to get somewhere between 365,880 and 585,407 valid signatures. This will be done by circulating your petition throughout the state and having people sign it. You can hire circulators, get volunteers, or collect signatures through other means so long as it is allowed by your state.


Each signature must be given by a registered voter who lives in the county where the petition is being circulated. Each person signing must personally place his or her signature, printed name, and address on the petition.
Once you think you have obtained the required number of signatures, you will submit your petition to the state government for review. The government will ensure that each signature is real, accurate, and not a duplicate.The government will always invalidate some signatures for various reasons so it is always a good idea to get more signatures than just the minimum. If your petition is granted, your initiative will be placed on the ballot.
Understand the purpose of initiatives.
Write a proposed law.
Submit the proposed initiative to the secretary of state or attorney general.
Allow for public review.
Format your petition.
Obtain the required number of signatures.
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