In two recent Jacobin articles, Ben Case and Paul Prescod argued that 2024’s general election results demonstrate the great potential of ballot initiatives for enacting progressive policy in the United States. There is certainly material for such an interpretation: even Republican strongholds like Missouri and Alaska were able to pass minimum-wage hikes, and Nebraska and Kentucky voters beat school privatization measures. Taken selectively, these successes tell a story in which American voters, when given a direct say, come down firmly on the side of social and economic justice.
A wider perspective on this year’s state ballot referenda, however, calls this narrative into doubt. While some left-wing issues…