Another factoid. Out of the 21 states which have an African-American population over 10% as per the 2010 census:

• 13 states allow only legislatively-referred initiated constitutional amendments;
• Mississippi allows legislatively-referred, indirect, and direct initiated constitutional amendments;
• Maryland allows legislatively-referred state statutes, or legislatively-referred initiated constitutional amendments or referendums;
• Florida allows legislatively-referred, and direct initiated constitutional amendments;
• Illinois allows legislatively-referred initiative statutes, or legislatively-referred and direct initiated constitutional amendments or referendums;
• Michigan and Ohio allow legislatively-referred and indirect initiative statutes, or legislatively-referred and direct initiated constitutional amendments or referendums;
• Arkansas and Missouri allow direct and indirect initiative statutes, as well as direct and indirect initiated constitutional amendments or referendums.
• Similarly, out of these same 21 states, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan and New Jersey are the only states which allow recall elections, with Georgia requiring narrower grounds for recall.

I bring this up because, in light of the Colorado referendum which failed to repeal “slavery-as-punishment” from their state constitution, the relationship between people of color (especially African-Americans) and a U.S. state’s exercise of direct democracy is something which has yet to be fully analyzed.

Electoral flexibility should matter to people of color, especially when it comes to changing our laws and our officials.