CAROLINE J. TOLBERT
Kent State University
RAMONA S. MCNEAL
Kent State University
DANIEL A. SMITH
University of Denver
Enhancing Civic Engagement: The Effect of Direct Democracy on Political Participation and Knowledge

What is the impact of direct democracy on citizens' political participation and knowledge? Progressive Era reformers and normative theorists have argued that institutional procedures allowing citizens a more direct role in government decision-making will increase civic engagement, broadly defined. Using American National Election Studies data for 1996, 1998, and 2000, we test this hypothesis. Our multivariate analysis suggests that exposure to ballot initiatives increases the probability of voting, stimulates campaign contributions to interest groups, and enhances political knowledge. However, we find that the impact of the initiative process on political participation and knowledge varies with electoral context.