Statutory or legislative initiative is defined by Article 2 section 9 of our state constitution as the people's power "to propose laws and to enact and reject laws." It is invoked by filing petitions containing signatures of registered voters of at least 8% of the total votes cast in the last election for governor. If enough valid signatures are collected the legislature must enact it, without modification, or reject it within 40 session days. If the legislature rejects our ballot proposal, or fails to act, the proposed legislation goes to a statewide vote of the people on the next statewide ballot.

If the legislature rejects the proposal it can also place a competing measure on the same ballot on the same subject and the proposal which gets the most votes becomes law within 10 days. The governor cannot veto a law enacted this way. The legislature cannot amend or repeal it, except at a subsequent session, and then only by a supermajority vote in both the state senate and state house.