The Iran War demonstrates once again the limitations of the War Powers Act. The War Powers Act of 1973 mandates that the President has 60 days to end hostilities if there has been no Congressional authorization – though he can seek a 30-day extension. The same law gives Congress the ability to end hostilities by voting on a resolution to end military action, subject to Presidential veto.

The adoption of digital signatures for petitions will fundamentally change the way that Swiss citizens engage with their government, launching a new era in which the power of citizens to use the initiative and referendum is just a click away. Advances in cybersecurity will ensure the secrecy and integrity of digital signatures.

As the federal government has become more autocratic and dismissive of citizen petitions, interest in the petition process has waned. The unprecedented levels of debt incurred by the federal government in recent years have triggered renewed interest in direct democracy. Citizen groups are now challenging the failure of Congress to record and count these state petitions.