The increased use of direct democracy measures across the United States has brought attention to the individual petitioner however their motivations and goals continue to be an enigma.Drawing on behavioral, historical and legal analysis to provide a more concrete depiction of these individuals, expert contributors examine the true personalities, motivations and expectations, successes and failures of petitioners in the direct democracy process and how they culminate in policy formation across the United States. Six typologies; the zealot, the victim, the amateur, the lawyer, the professional, and the politician are identified and later applied to four key policy areas, taxation, health, the environment and education. A lucid contribution to the existing literature on direct democracy and an excellent resource for studying how petitioners are able to influence their communities beyond the ballot box.

Chapter 1: The State of Petitioners, by Shauna Reilly and Ryan M. Yonk Chapter 2: Success From Amateur to Zealot: A Typology of Initiative Activists, by Mathew Manweller Chapter 3: Governors at the Bully Ballot Box, by Thomas Lubbock Chapter 4: Petitioners and Policy Makers: State Legislator Perceptions of Petitioners and Direct Democracy, by Richard N. Engstrom and Jeff R. DeWitt Chapter 5: Petitioners as a Reflection of their Community, by Shauna Reilly and Whitney McIntyre Miller Chapter 6: Petitioners and Quality of Life in their Community, by Shauna Reilly and Ryan Yonk Chapter 7: Education and Amateurs: Changes to Education Finance by Petitioners, by Damon Cann and Teena Wilhelm Chapter 8: Petitioners in Health Care Policy: Radicals or Partisans?, by Roberta Q. Hertzberg Chapter 9: The Realm of the Zealot: Tax Policy, by Ryan Yonk, Terrie Bechdel and Kayla Dawn Harris Chapter 10: Green Energy Democracy: A Venue for Zealots and Professionals, by Randy Simmons, Kristen Dawson and Kayla Dawn Harris, Chapter 11: Conclusion and Policy Potential, by Shauna Reilly and Ryan Yonk