Below is from Direct democracy in the United States
“ | A pure democracy can admit no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will be felt by a majority, and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party. Hence it is, that democracies have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. [1] | ” |
John Witherspoon, a signer of Declaration of Independence, said
“ | Pure democracy cannot subsist long nor be carried far into the departments of state — it is very subject to caprice and the madness of popular rage. | ” |
Alexander Hamilton said,
“ | That a pure democracy if it were practicable would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity. | ” |
Despite the framers' intentions, ballot measures and their corresponding referenda have been widely used at the state and sub-state level. There is much state and federal case law, from the early 1900s to the 1990s, that protects the people's right to each of these direct democracy governance components (Magleby, 1984, and Zimmerman, 1999). The first United States Supreme Court ruling in favor of citizen lawmaking was in Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Company v. Oregon, 223 U.S. 118—in 1912 (Zimmerman, December 1999). President Theodore Roosevelt, in his "Charter of Democracy" speech to the 1912 Ohio constitutional convention, stated
“ | I believe in the Initiative and Referendum, which should be used not to destroy representative government, but to correct it whenever it becomes misrepresentative. | ” |
In various states, referenda through which the people rule include:
There are now 34 states with constitutionally-defined, citizen-initiated, direct democracy governance components (Zimmerman, December 1999). For the most part, only one-time majorities are required (simple majority of those voting) to approve any of these components.
In addition, many localities around the U.S. also provide for some or all of these direct democracy governance components, and in specific classes of initiatives (like those for raising taxes), there is a supermajority voting threshold requirement. Even in states where direct democracy components are scant or nonexistent at the state level, there often exist local options for deciding specific issues, such as whether a county should be "wet" or "dry".
In New England, nearly all towns practice a very limited form of home rule, and decide local affairs through the direct democratic process of the town meeting.
In the late 19th century, the Populist Party of America was formed to promote the creation of direct democracy in America. The Socialist Party USA is still committed to the establishment of direct democracy.
Below is from Direct democracy in the United States
“ | A pure democracy can admit no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will be felt by a majority, and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party. Hence it is, that democracies have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. [1] | ” |
John Witherspoon, a signer of Declaration of Independence, said
“ | Pure democracy cannot subsist long nor be carried far into the departments of state — it is very subject to caprice and the madness of popular rage. | ” |
Alexander Hamilton said,
“ | That a pure democracy if it were practicable would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity. | ” |
Despite the framers' intentions, ballot measures and their corresponding referenda have been widely used at the state and sub-state level. There is much state and federal case law, from the early 1900s to the 1990s, that protects the people's right to each of these direct democracy governance components (Magleby, 1984, and Zimmerman, 1999). The first United States Supreme Court ruling in favor of citizen lawmaking was in Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Company v. Oregon, 223 U.S. 118—in 1912 (Zimmerman, December 1999). President Theodore Roosevelt, in his "Charter of Democracy" speech to the 1912 Ohio constitutional convention, stated
“ | I believe in the Initiative and Referendum, which should be used not to destroy representative government, but to correct it whenever it becomes misrepresentative. | ” |
In various states, referenda through which the people rule include:
There are now 34 states with constitutionally-defined, citizen-initiated, direct democracy governance components (Zimmerman, December 1999). For the most part, only one-time majorities are required (simple majority of those voting) to approve any of these components.
In addition, many localities around the U.S. also provide for some or all of these direct democracy governance components, and in specific classes of initiatives (like those for raising taxes), there is a supermajority voting threshold requirement. Even in states where direct democracy components are scant or nonexistent at the state level, there often exist local options for deciding specific issues, such as whether a county should be "wet" or "dry".
In New England, nearly all towns practice a very limited form of home rule, and decide local affairs through the direct democratic process of the town meeting.
In the late 19th century, the Populist Party of America was formed to promote the creation of direct democracy in America. The Socialist Party USA is still committed to the establishment of direct democracy.