Direct democracy

Direct democracy is a system of government in which each citizen of a society has an equal vote. Measures such as laws and regulations are brought forth by citizens, voted on, and decided by majority rule. Direct democracy was inspired by the government of the Ancient Greek city-state Athens.

Though direct democracy is not currently utilized on a national level, it was a major influence in the development of representative democracy, the type of government utilized by most modern democratic nations in which elected officials represent the people. Additionally, forms of direct democracy have been worked into many state and local governments in the United States.

Proponents of direct democracy argue that the system is more fair and equitable than other forms of government. They also contend that giving the populace a major say in governmental decisions leads to a happier, more orderly society. Opponents of direct democracy believe that it requires an unreasonably well-informed and motivated group of citizens to function properly. They also argue that any government run entirely by majority rule would be too unstable to function properly.

Background

Direct democracy did not exist in most ancient civilizations, and ancient peoples had very little say in their government. They might be ruled by a monarch or small noble class, and laws were simply passed down from the relevant governing body. When this governing body made a declaration, it would immediately become law.

Because this type of government was so common, places in which the people had a say in their government garnered attention. One such place was the Ancient Greek city-state of Athens. In 507 BCE, the Athenian government was called “demokratia,” which translates to “rule by the people.” Athens had three governing bodies: the ekklesia, the boule, and the dikasteria.

The ekklesia, also called the assembly, was the primary governing body of Athens. Any adult male citizen with full rights could attend the ekklesia’s meetings. At these meetings, the ekklesia would make major decisions related to Athens. The ekklesia could declare war, write laws, appoint public officials, and exile citizens. Its decisions were all made by a majority vote.

The boule was a council of 500 men. Fifty of these men were taken as representatives from each Athenian tribal group. Representatives served a one-year term on the council. The boule met daily, performing most of the day-to-day governing of the empire.

The boule decided which matters needed to come to a vote before the ekklesia. It also performed tasks that would be impractical for a direct democracy to address, such as supervising government workers and managing the civilian and military inventories.

The dikasteria served as the courts of Athens. Five hundred jurors were chosen daily from the adult male citizens of Athens. There were no lawyers or formal judges in Ancient Greece, so the dikasteria filled all these roles. Some members of the dikasteria would bring a case before the other members, make an argument, and vote. The dikasteria also decided the penalties for those convicted. Like the ekklesia, it functioned as a direct democracy.

Overview

In a direct democracy, every citizen gets one vote. All matters are decided by voting, and each vote is equal. In this type of government, all citizens are also equal. Wealthy citizens have the same political power as poorer citizens.

In a true direct democracy, every citizen is allowed a vote on every measure of government. Each bill, law, or decision is proposed by a citizen and then voted on by everyone. Though this style of government no longer exists on a national level, the United States has worked major elements of direct democracy into many state and local governments through referendums and initiatives. In many areas of the United States, citizens of a state or local government can repeal a law without going through their state or local legislature if they can achieve a majority vote through a referendum. An initiative is a similar process in which the citizens create a law by achieving a majority vote. Switzerland follows a modified version of direct democracy, as the general public has the right to veto any law enacted by the elected legislature.

Since its inception in Athens, direct democracy has played a role in government institutions. While not utilized directly, direct democracy inspired representative democracy. In a representative democracy, groups of people elect politicians to represent them in an assembly, which then functions as a direct democracy. In a representative democracy, individual citizens have less power than they would in a direct democracy. However, they are not burdened with the daily responsibility of governance.

Proponents of direct democracy cite its numerous advantages, such as each vote always counting. In a representative democracy, on the other hand, many voters feel that their choices are limited by the established political parties, and their vote accomplishes little. Direct democracy promotes governmental accountability by allowing everyone input on every issue. If the members of a general populace are unhappy with a plan, they will vote it down. Additionally, government officials can be immediately recalled with a simple majority vote.

Many proponents of direct democracy believe that it fosters societies that are happier and more orderly because people have control over the rules and regulations by which they live. If the majority of a population does not want to follow a law, it can vote the law away. If the population believes that something is a problem, it can immediately address it. Direct democracy gives people the ability to advocate for themselves with their vote instead of forcing a single person to represent the interests of many people.

Critics of direct democracy contend that such a form of government requires a high level of political participation and education from the populace. For the system to work properly, average citizens must be willing to devote significant time to educating themselves on important issues before taking the time to vote on them. They also argue that direct democracies require an impractical amount of infrastructure for each citizen to be able to vote in every major decision, and such a system would cause a nation’s policies to be incredibly unstable.

Bibliography

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