Briefly describe the four stages through which an initiative must pass in order to take effect California.

What will be an ideal response?

Stage 1, Preparation Stage: Drafting and Titling. A proposed law is written and submitted with $2,000 to the Attorney General's office, which posts it online for 30 days for public comment. After the review period, the proposal can be changed or amended by authors during a short window of time (5 days), and then is given a title and summary by the Attorney General's office. Stage 2, Qualification: Circulating Petitions, Gathering Signatures, and Signature Verification. Authors circulate petitions to gather enough signatures to qualify their measure within a given time frame. After the deadline, the Secretary of State verifies whether enough signatures are valid, and assigns it a number if it qualifies for the ballot ("Proposition #"). Stage 3, Campaign: supporters and opponents campaign to convince voters to reject or accept the measure. A simple majority vote is needed to pass initiatives; supermajority votes are needed to pass bond measures (two thirds). Stage 4, Postelection: measures take effect immediately, unless challenged in court. Many measures must survive court challenges in order to take effect. (Astute students might also point out that public officials sometimes try to find ways around initiatives, and that opponents often try to overcome propositions with their own versions by trying to get them qualified for a future election.)