The voters have spoken. But does it matter?

That’s a question that’s coming up in an increasing number of states regarding ballot initiatives, a form of direct democracy in 24 states and the District of Columbia. And it’s being asked with remarkable regularity in the state of Maine.

On Tuesday, Maine voted 59 percent to 41 percent to become the first state to expand Medicaid – a move affecting 70,000 low-income residents. The next day, Gov. Paul LePage said he wouldn’t implement the expansion unless the Legislature agrees to fund it. (Since 2013, the Legislature has voted five times for the expansion – and Governor LePage has vetoed it five times.)

In 2016, Mainers voted to pass five of six initiatives on the ballot. Four have been overturned, altered, or delayed. Some of the issues: legalizing marijuana for those over age 21, raising the minimum wage, and increasing taxes on households that make more than $200,000. With the fourth – which would have made Maine the first state to implement ranked-choice voting – legislators tried a repeal, but, after widespread outrage, decided in a special session in October to delay implementation until 2021.

“This isn’t how democracy works,” Justine Sarver, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, told The Atlantic. “You don’t get to pick and choose when you like a process and when you don’t.” 

Ms. Sarver is among those who say there is a trend of state officials either ignoring or overriding the will of the people who elected them to office. 

We trust voters to decide who represents them, these experts say. Shouldn’t we also trust them to decide issues that affect their lives? 

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