Which is how it is done in a REPRESENTATIVE REPUBLIC, which is what ate founders wanted. We are not a mobocracy, where are rights are subject to the whim of the fickle sheeple.
One, the nation being a representative republic has nothing to do with what's happening inside individual state, how it's organized and governed. Some, like CA, allow voters to directly pass law or amend the state constitution through an initiative process.
Two, the article title is propagandist. Normally when a legislature passes law, the press say "Lawmakers vote to," or something similar, as a way to distinguish between a vote of the People and actions taken by their representatives. This was a rhetorical slight-of-hand.