Imagine: You've identified a pressing issue in your community and believe that a new law or an amendment to an existing one could be the solution. The process of doing that is called “Initiative Petition”. However, the thought of venturing into the world of initiative petitions can be daunting.
At its core, the initiative petition process allows individuals like you to propose new laws or changes, placing the power of legislation directly in the hands of the community. Think of the initiative petition process like a community suggestion box, but on a grander scale. If you believe there's a change that needs to happen in your state, you can write it down, gather support in the form of signatures, and then submit it. If enough people back your idea, it gets a spot on the next state election ballot. That means, come election day, every voter in the state can give their two cents on your proposal. If the majority agrees with you, your suggestion can become an actual law. In essence, it's a way for regular folks to have a direct hand in shaping the rules of their state, right alongside elected officials.
But between that idea and seeing it on a ballot, there lies a labyrinth of rules, deadlines, and requirements. This is usually a 2+ year process involving drafting the petition, fundraising, legal counseling, signature gathering, and filing paperwork with multiple government agencies.
Here's where our tool shines. We provide a clear roadmap of the entire process, detailing each stage, and guiding you on what needs to be done and when. With our assistance, you'll be equipped to transform your idea into a community movement. We’ll slowly chip away at the complexity until it’s broken into clear, smaller steps. Ready to take that first step?
In building this roadmap, we have researched and consolidated information across government websites (see below).We've created this tool as a simple, step-by-step guide for anyone interested in learning about the process, as well as a detailed checklist for those actively petitioning.
Currently, we are fine-tuning our designs and hoping to collect feedback from you! We are looking for feedback on the following aspects (but feel free to share thoughts on other elements):
Here is a demo of the tool: This is a walkthrough of completing the first step in the roadmap. It showcases all the features you would encounter, a timeline with smaller embedded checklists. For this experience, you will be able to scroll and tap on areas highlighted in blue to explore the prototype.
Here is a prototype with all content: This is a walkthrough of all information in each step of the initiative petition process, but this excludes the checklist feature.
You can provide feedback by:
GoInvo is a digital design studio in Boston, shaping the future of healthcare through strategy, creativity, and vision. When we're not working for our clients, we're busy creating open-source projects. These projects reflect our commitment to addressing critical, often overlooked subjects with design.
Through this project, it is our goal to break down the barrier of entry in participating in direct democracy processes starting with communicating complex processes in simple words: converting legal jargon into plain language, re-organizing complex processes into actionable steps.