Direct Democracy

Direct vs. Indirect Democracy

When you think of a democratic country, you're probably actually thinking of indirect democracy rather than direct democracy since that's what countries like the United States use. Both types involve citizens in decision-making, unlike other government styles like monarchies, oligarchies, or dictatorships, in which only a few people in power make decisions.

The main difference between direct and indirect democracy is who's making the policy decisions: the people or the representatives. In a direct democracy, citizens vote directly on issues and policies. In an indirect (or representative) democracy, citizens rely on elected officials to represent them in making these decisions. This is why elected officials are often called representatives.

Figure 1: Picture of campaign signs, Wikimedia Commons

Countries with Direct Democracy

Examples of countries with Direct Democracy include:

History of Direct Democracy

Direct democracy emerged in response to the domination of societies by elite oligarchies. Direct democracy was idealized in newly-formed countries looking to shift away from an authoritarian government.

Antiquity

The oldest example of a direct democracy is in Ancient Greece in the city-state of Athens. Eligible citizens (men with status; women and slaves were ineligible to vote in Ancient Greece) were permitted to join an assembly that made important decisions. Ancient Rome also had qualities of direct democracy since citizens could veto legislation, but they incorporated aspects of indirect democracy by electing officials to represent them.

Figure 2: Pictured above are the ruins of an ancient Greek assembly house where the council met, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Enlightenment Era

The Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries saw a renewed interest in the philosophies of the classical period (i.e. ancient Greece and Rome). Ideas like the social contract between the government and the governed, individual rights, and limited government made democratic forms of government more popular as people pushed back on the idea of a monarch's absolute power and the divine right to rule.

After gaining independence from England, the United States took the opportunity to create a representative democracy. They wanted to get away from the tyrannical and abusive systems under monarchs. But they didn't want a direct democracy because they didn't trust that all citizens were smart or informed enough to make good voting decisions. Thus, they created a system where eligible citizens (at the time, only white men who owned property) voted for representatives who then made policy decisions.

Growth of Direct Democracy in the United States

Direct democracy became more popular in the United States during the Progressive and Populist Eras of the late 19th century into the 20th century. People had grown suspicious of state government and felt that wealthy interest groups and elite businessmen had the government in their pockets. Several states amended their constitutions to allow direct democracy elements like the referendum, ballot initiative, and recall (more on that later!). This was also the time period when women were fighting for voting rights. Some states turned to ballot initiatives to decide whether women should have the right to vote.

As democracy spread through the world following the World Wars, most countries adopted a similar indirect democratic system with elements of direct democracy.

Pros and Cons of Direct Democracy

While direct democracy has some significant advantages, its disadvantages ultimately led to it fading in popularity compared to indirect democracy.

Pros of Direct Democracy

The main advantages of direct democracy are transparency, accountability, engagement, and legitimacy.

Transparency and Accountability

Because citizens are intimately involved in making governance decisions, there is much more transparency than in other government types where the average citizen is more removed from day-to-day decision-making.

Along with transparency is accountability. Because the people and the government are working so closely together, people can more easily hold the government accountable for its decisions.

Engagement and Legitimacy

Another advantage is a better relationship between citizens and government. Laws are more readily accepted since they come from the people. Citizen empowerment can lead to more engagement.

With more engagement, people have stronger trust in the government, which helps them view it as more legitimate than government types where they have little trust or engagement.

Cons of Direct Democracy

Direct democracies are ideal in some ways, but they also have their challenges, especially their inefficiency, decreases in political participation, lack of consensus, and voter quality.

Inefficiency

Direct democracies can be logistical nightmares, especially when the country is large geographically or population-wise. Imagine a country is facing famine or war. Someone needs to make a decision, and fast. But if everyone needs to vote before the country can take action, it would take days or weeks to even organize the vote, let alone implement the decision!

Political Participation

Frustrations over inefficiency can quickly lead to a decrease in political participation. If people do not participate, then the purpose and function of direct democracy are lost as smaller groups end up taking control.

Lack of Consensus

In a highly populated and diverse society, it can be difficult for people to agree on a controversial political issue in a highly populated and diverse societys. Without a strong sense of unity and consensus, direct democracy can quickly be compromised.

Voter Quality

Everyone has the right to vote, but does that mean that everyone should vote? What about someone who doesn't know or care about who the president is, or someone who's extremely bigoted? The founding fathers didn't want everyone voting on legislation because they feared they weren't informed or educated enough to make good decisions. If voters make poor decisions, it can translate to poor government functioning.

Examples of Direct Democracy

Direct and indirect democracies aren't mutually exclusive. Most government systems feature elements of both. The United States is one of these countries: while it primarily functions as a representative democracy, it uses direct democracy tools like the referendum, ballot initiative, and recall.

Some examples and mechanisms of direct democracy are:

• Referendums
• Citizen Initiatives
• Recall Elections
• Plebiscites
• Town Hall Meetings
• Landsgemeinde
• Constitutional Amendments
• Veto Referendum

Referenda

Referenda (plural for "referendum") are when citizens vote directly on a policy. There are a few different kinds of referenda: a compulsory (or binding) referendum is when elected officials must receive permission from citizens to enact a law. A popular referendum is when voters decide whether to strike down or keep an existing law.

Ballot Initiative

Ballot initiatives (also called "ballot measures" or "voter initiatives") are when citizens vote directly on proposals. Citizens can also propose their own ballot measures if they collect enough signatures.

Figure 3: Proposition 19 was a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in 1972, Library of Congress

Recall Election

You know how companies sometimes recall products if they're defective or not up to code? You can do that with politicians too! A recall vote is when citizens vote on whether an elected politician's position should be terminated. Although they're rare and usually on the local level, they can have a significant impact.