A proposal is a specific plan for public action, with an author, a responsible authority, a cost, and a status. An issue is a problem; a proposal is one answer to it. In My Vote Forward, opinions attach to proposals and to their exact wording, so that support for an idea is never confused with support for a different version of it.
Definition
The site glossary defines a proposal as a specific plan for public action with an author, a responsible authority, a cost, and a status (see the short entry in the glossary). Each element does work:
- Author: who wrote it, so readers can judge its origin.
- Responsible authority: which jurisdiction has the legal power to adopt it. A city council cannot change state law.
- Cost: what it would require, including who pays.
- Status: where it stands: drafted, introduced, in committee, qualified for the ballot, adopted, rejected, or withdrawn.
A proposal also has a version. Bills are amended, and initiative texts are rewritten before they qualify. An opinion about one version is not an opinion about the next.
Origin and history
Most public proposals enter government through one of two routes. The first is the legislature: a member introduces a bill, it is referred to committee, amended, and voted on. The second is direct democracy. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) reports that “a total of 24 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands have an initiative process,” through which citizens can draft a proposal and, with enough signatures, place it before voters.1 In the direct form, “proposed measures that qualify go directly on the ballot”; in the indirect form, “the proposal is submitted to the legislature” first.1 NCSL notes that “the first state to adopt the initiative was South Dakota in 1898”.1 See Initiative and Referendum.
Switzerland’s federal system gives a comparison: a popular initiative to amend the constitution requires “the signatures of 100,000 voters who support the proposal” collected “within 18 months”.2
How proposals are tracked and used
A proposal becomes useful for public judgment when its five attributes are visible. In practice that means linking the official text, naming the body that would decide, citing an official cost estimate where one exists (such as a fiscal note), and recording the current stage. Most proposals never reach a final vote, and only a subset ever appear on a ballot. A proposal that has qualified for an official ballot under the law of a jurisdiction becomes a ballot item.
Proposals are also where wording matters most. Pew Research Center’s documentation of question wording shows that adding a single consideration to a question can reverse majority support.3 When a proposal is summarized for the public, the summary is itself a piece of wording that can steer opinion; this is why who writes a ballot summary, and how it can be challenged, deserves as much scrutiny as the proposal itself.
Common confusions and neighboring terms
- Proposal vs. issue. “Housing costs” is an issue. “Allow duplexes on all residential lots in the city” is a proposal.
- Proposal vs. ballot item and ballot measure. A proposal becomes a ballot item only when it formally qualifies under law.
- Proposal vs. priority. A priority ranks subjects; a proposal is a specific action within a subject.
- Proposal vs. promise. A candidate’s pledge is not a proposal until someone with authority introduces a specific text.
How My Vote Forward uses the term
My Vote Forward attaches every opinion to a specific proposal and its version. When the official wording changes, earlier opinions are marked stale rather than carried over. The framework’s design for proposals, including how author, authority, cost, and status are shown, is described in Proposals. Which authority decides what is covered in Jurisdictions.
What My Vote Forward can and cannot do here
My Vote Forward can present proposals with their author, authority, cost, status, and version, and keep opinions tied to the text they refer to. It cannot introduce, qualify, or adopt a proposal; only legislators, election officials, and voters acting under law can. It cannot guarantee that a proposal summary is neutral; it can link the official text so readers can check. Proposals in the demo are fictional or simulated.
Unresolved questions
- Who should write the plain-language summary of a proposal, and how should disputes over a summary’s neutrality be resolved?
- How should cost be shown when official estimates do not exist or are contested?
- Should people be notified when a proposal they gave an opinion on is amended?
Sources
- National Conference of State Legislatures, “Initiative and Referendum Processes,” updated November 24, 2025. ncsl.org/…
- Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, About Switzerland, “Direct democracy.” aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch/en/direct-democracy
- Pew Research Center, “Writing Survey Questions.” pewresearch.org/writing-survey-questions
