What is the difference between an initiative and a referendum?
The initiative process is the power of the people to place statutes and constitutional amendments on the ballot. If the initiative proposes to amend California statutes, the proponents must gather petition signatures of registered voters equal to 5% of the total votes cast for Governor in the last gubernatorial election. If the initiative proposes to amend the California Constitution, the signature requirement is 8%. Referendum is the power of the people to approve or reject statutes already adopted by their Legislature. However, this does not apply to statutes that have urgency clauses, call for elections, or provide for tax levies or appropriations for current expenses of the state. Voters wishing to preclude a legislatively adopted statute from taking effect must gather signatures of registered voters equal in number to 5% of the votes cast for all candidates for Governor in the previous gubernatorial election.
