On Saving Democracy from the SAVE America Act
A conversation with Quentin Savwoir on Ballot Initiatives, Black Political Power, and Why the Fight Continues After the Vote
As Congress and state legislatures continue advancing proposals under the guise of “strengthening” election integrity, much of the public conversation has focused on voter identification requirements and who should be allowed to cast a ballot. But there has been another battle looming over the fragility of American democracy that has not gotten the same amount of attention: citizen-led ballot initiatives.
For many Black Americans, the preservation of political participation and empowerment has never been confined to Election Day. From Reconstruction through the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, Black communities have relied on a myriad of strategies to secure political power—including litigation, protest, grassroots organizing, and electoral participation. The preservation of the Black vote has always been of the utmost importance, but so has everything surrounding it which has historically included the organizing that precedes it and the accountability that follows it.
Citizen-driven ballot initiatives offer another pathway through which ordinary people can shape public policy directly. In states where these initiatives are available, they allow voters to bypass legislative gridlock by placing issues at the feet (and voting hands) of the electorate—from minimum wage increases and reproductive rights to criminal justice reform and voting access. Unsurprisingly, as these campaigns have become more successful, many state legislatures have doubled down on restrictive measures by proposing new rules governing how initiatives qualify for the ballot, how petitions are verified, and what thresholds measures must meet to pass.
Undoubtedly these measures have come with serious implications for Black communities, most notably in states where traditional political institutions have ignored and dissuaded the priorities of Black voters.
I recently spoke with Quentin Savwoir, Director of Programs & Strategy at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC), a national organization that helps grassroots groups build successful ballot initiative campaigns. A refrain throughout our conversation was Savwoir repeatedly returning to a theme that extends well beyond election law. Which is the idea that the health of American democracy depends not only on voting but on sustained civic engagement, coalition building, and relationships that continue long after Election Day.
The following is our conversation, edited for length and clarity.
Donney Rose (OIB): For readers who may not be familiar with the process, can you explain how citizen-driven ballot initiatives work and why they’ve become such an important avenue for policy change in many states?
Quentin Savwoir: The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center is an infrastructure-building organization. We help create the conditions for grassroots groups, labor organizations, and activists to create change through training, research, messaging, and coalition building.
Ballot measures are having what I like to call a Beyoncé moment because they’ve become one of the few places where people can actually see government doing things that materially improve their lives.
Ballot measures give people the chance to vote for a policy without the fear of a politician. Missouri is a great example. In 2024, voters elected Donald Trump and Josh Hawley, but they also voted to overturn the state’s abortion ban, raise the minimum wage, and establish paid sick leave.
When you strip away the partisan labels, people often support policies that improve their lives. It’s only when those issues become wrapped up in Democrats versus Republicans that people begin feeling the hyper-politicization of our country.
Donney Rose (OIB): Supporters of SAVE-style legislation argue these measures strengthen election integrity. From your perspective, how could these laws affect ballot initiatives?
Quentin Savwoir: We don’t have an election integrity problem in this country. Countless studies have shown there has never been enough voter fraud to change the outcome of an election.
What we’re seeing instead is what we call ballot candy—issues designed to motivate certain voters around problems that don’t actually exist.
At the same time, legislatures are making the initiative process itself more difficult. Florida has made signature gathering harder. Missouri is proposing that citizen initiatives win statewide and in every congressional district. That’s the antithesis of democracy.
What concerns me is how quickly restrictions become normalized. Once lawmakers convince people there’s a problem that doesn’t actually exist, they can justify creating more barriers around fundamental rights.
Donney Rose (OIB): Historically, Black Americans have pursued multiple avenues to secure political power. Where do citizen-driven ballot initiatives fit within that tradition?
Quentin Savwoir: In the South especially, ballot initiatives haven’t always been part of the toolbox because many Southern states simply don’t have them.
Where they do exist, they’re incredibly important because they allow ordinary people to shape policy directly.
The challenge is that campaigns have become more expensive, and most of the work is still volunteer-driven. That’s why coalition matters so much.
I’ve never seen a ballot initiative succeed simply because somebody started a Facebook group or posted enough TikTok videos. Movements are built through relationships. People have to trust each other. They have to care about one another.
That’s really where BISC tries to help. We support organizations, but ultimately the work depends on communities building lasting relationships.
Donney Rose (OIB): Looking toward the 2026 midterms, what should Black voters, organizers, and community leaders be paying attention to?
Quentin Savwoir: The answer isn’t very glamorous, but it’s implementation.
People spend years organizing a campaign. They win on Election Day, celebrate, and think the work is over.
It’s not. Voting is just one part of being a good steward of democracy.
After a ballot measure passes, agencies begin writing rules. Legislatures make implementation decisions. That’s often where the heart and integrity of a ballot initiative gets weakened.
We have to pay attention after Election Day. Somebody has to be watching committee hearings. Somebody has to understand rulemaking. Somebody has to hold lawmakers accountable.
It can’t be one person. We have to be in coalition with one another.
Politics matters, but relationships matter just as much.
Sometimes I ask people a simple question: How do you neighbor?
We’ve gotten away from building relationships with the people around us. We spend so much time online that we’ve forgotten how to show up for one another offline.
That simple act of caring about your neighbors goes much farther than most people realize. Those relationships are what sustain organizing, protect our communities, and ultimately preserve our democracy.
Click above for audio of the full conversation with Quentin Savwoir