Of the People, by the People, for the People: Direct Democracy in America
Louis Isabella
15 November 2011
POSC-276 Dr. Dunham
Of the people, By the People, For the People: Direct Democracy in America
Since the first governments were created citizens have been trying to gain more influence on the laws and the politicians who make them. In representative democracies like the United States, sometimes relying on politicians to legislate in the interest of the people just isn’t enough. This is when the voters step in and use processes like initiative, referendum, and recall to make public policy themselves. These processes are especially popular in the state of California. The roots of these procedures in the United States go all the way back to colonial times, and were adopted in the forms we know today during the progressive era. Many people believe that voters are not competent or informed well enough to make rational decisions, which is not a factual claim. While these processes are very popular today, most of the founding fathers were very wary of democracy, especially direct democracy. The times are much different now, people are more informed, and democracy today is very different than it was when The Constitution was being written. Initiative, referendum, and recall are important institutions in American Democracy that allow the people to become involved in the legislative process, and although they conflict with a key belief of the founding fathers, the voters of today are informed enough to make competent decisions.
Initiative is a process that enables voters to bypass legislators by putting proposed statutes on the ballot directly or indirectly. In Direct initiative, proposals that qualify go directly onto the ballot. In Indirect initiative, proposals that qualify are sent to the legislature, and if they are voted down will then go to the ballot. Referendum is a term that refers to a measure on the ballot. There are two types of referenda: legislative and popular. Legislative referenda deal with things like changes to the
15 November 2011
POSC-276 Dr. Dunham
Of the people, By the People, For the People: Direct Democracy in America
Since the first governments were created citizens have been trying to gain more influence on the laws and the politicians who make them. In representative democracies like the United States, sometimes relying on politicians to legislate in the interest of the people just isn’t enough. This is when the voters step in and use processes like initiative, referendum, and recall to make public policy themselves. These processes are especially popular in the state of California. The roots of these procedures in the United States go all the way back to colonial times, and were adopted in the forms we know today during the progressive era. Many people believe that voters are not competent or informed well enough to make rational decisions, which is not a factual claim. While these processes are very popular today, most of the founding fathers were very wary of democracy, especially direct democracy. The times are much different now, people are more informed, and democracy today is very different than it was when The Constitution was being written. Initiative, referendum, and recall are important institutions in American Democracy that allow the people to become involved in the legislative process, and although they conflict with a key belief of the founding fathers, the voters of today are informed enough to make competent decisions.
Initiative is a process that enables voters to bypass legislators by putting proposed statutes on the ballot directly or indirectly. In Direct initiative, proposals that qualify go directly onto the ballot. In Indirect initiative, proposals that qualify are sent to the legislature, and if they are voted down will then go to the ballot. Referendum is a term that refers to a measure on the ballot. There are two types of referenda: legislative and popular. Legislative referenda deal with things like changes to the
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