In a direct democracy
The authority to rule is exerted solely by the people rather than by legislators. Direct democracy and indirect democracy are the two ways democracy should be practiced. Because of the size of the population, direct democracy was exercised successfully in Athens, Greece. Direct democracy is uncommon in vast western democracies, but it is still present.
Direct democracy in today's world
In today's world, direct democracy is based on referendums on particular matters pertaining to self-determination. This paper examines how direct democracy is still used in contemporary American politics.
The initiative
The initiative is the most common form of exercising direct democracy in modern American politics. Normally, an initiative is a constitutional or law amendment that is both proposed and passed by the citizenry (Bessette and Pitney 8). These initiatives bypass the governor and the legislature completely. Only the state courts are involved and their involvement only comes in reviewing whether they are in line with the national and state constitution. After the initiative is approved, it is placed on the ballot whereby citizens can vote after a campaign by the organization involved in the initiative. This is one of the most common forums where Americans today exercise direct democracy in amending state laws and the constitution and involves the citizens themselves rather than their chosen representatives in the state assembly.
Recall
Recall is another form of direct democracy that is exercised in modern America. A recall gives the American voters the opportunity to make a decision whether to remove an official of the government from office. Every state in America has its ways of removing a government official from work and removal by the citizens is one of these methods. The recall of Grey Davis, the governor of California and replacement by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003 is one of the most recent and famous recalls in the modern history of the state of California. Recently, the citizens in Wisconsin exercised the same direct democracy to recall Governor Scott Walker. A recall is expensive even in the modern times but it is still a popular and common method through which voters can exercise direct democracy in modern America.
Referendum
The last form of direct democracy available for the voters in modern American politics is the referendum and may take the form of legislative or popular democracy. Popular referendum gives the voters in America the power to vote on the already existing laws after the collection of a certain amount of signatures from the voters. As Bessette and Pitney (Bessette and Pitney 8) expound, popular referendum is allowed in twenty-four states in modern America. On the other hand, legislative referendum accords the state legislature the power to put a new proposal to the ballot. The legislative referendum exists in all fifty states in modern America.
Conclusion
The paper has explained how direct democracy is still used in modern American politics. It was found out that there are three instruments through which Americans can exercise direct democracy: recall, referendum, and initiative. Through the above-stated instruments of direct democracy, Americans can make new policies and laws, amend the old ones, and recall government officials from their positions. Although these forms of direct democracy are expensive and sometimes time-consuming, they are essential in the modern society of America as demonstrated by the wide availability across a host of states.
Work Cited:
Bessette, Joseph M, & John J. Pitney. American Government and Politics: Deliberation, Democracy and Citizenship. New York, NY: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.
