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In Praise of Direct Democracy
Paul Skallas
August 01, 2023
The United States is not a direct democracy. Laws are not made by majority vote of citizens. Some states have implemented referendums at local levels but it's only a tiny fraction of all lawmaking. However, direct democracy is getting popular lately. Let’s explore this very Lindy model of government.
1) Why is Direct Democracy Popular all of a Sudden?
2) Why Do Conservatives Fear it?
3) What Kind of Conservative Policies have Passed in Switzerland and California With Direct Democracy?
The Sudden Popularity of Direct Democracy
In June 2022, The Supreme Court handed down a decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization to revert abortion law and regulation to states, erasing 50 years of precedent. In the aftermath of this ruling, liberal citizens started using direct democracy procedures in order to make abortion constitutionally protected in their respective state. This means they collected signatures on constitutional amendments, referendum and statutes to put on the ballot box for citizens to vote on.
Progressives have done well in recent years utilizing direct democracy in states for certain policies: expanding Medicaid, legalizing marijuana and increasing the minimum wage. That success continued in 2022, voters in six states—California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont voted to uphold the individual right to abortions.
Republican states are fighting back against direct democracy ballot measures by making it more onerous to get referendums on the ballot.
Conservative Fear of Direct Democracy
Progressives are having success focusing on voters themselves and bypassing legislatures. Conservatives haven’t embraced any of this and now are playing defense. It’s even begun filtering into the conservative ideology machine. The National Review wrote an article against direct democracy.
Even Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted against it.
We’re not a direct democracy. We are a *constitutional republic.* We need to revive civic duty among young Americans. That’s why I’m for a constitutional amendment to raise the voting age from 18 to 25, but to still allow 18-year-olds to vote if they either pass the same civics… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy)
9:03 PM • Jul 25, 2023
This type of conservative ideology is fearful of the masses or of potential mob rule. It feels comfortable with an “enlightened elite” who can guide the nation correctly. The fear is they can’t compete for voters. That eventually direct democracy will lead to the mob taking your house, taxing you at 90% or removing prisons. Is that rational? I don’t think so.
The nation of Switzerland and the state of California are two places that use direct democracy extensively. They also happen to be the richest places on earth. When I look at their record I see a mix of conservative and liberal policies.