Definition of "initiative"

initiative

/ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/

adjective
not comparable
1. Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.
2. In which voter initiatives can be brought to the ballot.
  Quotations
  The second row shows that initiative states fill more constitutional offices by election than noninitiative states, and the difference is statistically significant after controlling for region and population.
  a. 2008, John G. Matsusaka, "Direct Democracy and the Executive Branch", in, 2008, Shaun Bowler and Amihai Glazer, editors, Direct Democracy's Impact on American Political Institutions, Palgrave Macmillan, page 122
noun
countable and uncountable, plural initiatives
1. A beginning; a first move.
2. A new development; a fresh approach to something; a new way of dealing with a problem.
3. The ability to act first or on one's own.
4. (politics) An issue to be voted on, brought to the ballot by a sufficient number of signatures from among the voting public.