Understanding Direct Democracy

Direct Democracy

• A system in which citizens make decisions directly, either individually or through assemblies
• Examples: ancient Athens, Swiss cantons, some US states (e.g. California)
• Methods:
  • Referendums: citizens vote on specific laws or policies
  • Initiatives: citizens propose laws or policies for a vote
  • Recall elections: citizens can remove elected officials from office
• Advantages:
  • Increased citizen participation and engagement
  • Direct accountability to citizens
• Disadvantages:
  • Can be time-consuming and expensive
  • May not represent the views of all citizens (e.g. those who don't vote)

Voting Systems

• Methods of casting and counting votes in democratic elections
• Types:
  • First-past-the-post (FPTP): candidate with most votes wins
  • Proportional representation (PR): seats allocated based on percentage of votes
  • Ranked-choice voting (RCV): voters rank candidates in order of preference
• Factors to consider:
  • District boundaries and gerrymandering
  • Voter turnout and access
  • Ballot design and voting technology

Human Rights

• Fundamental rights and freedoms inherent to all individuals
• Includes:
  • Civil and political rights (e.g. free speech, assembly, fair trial)
  • Economic, social, and cultural rights (e.g. education, healthcare, fair labor conditions)
• International agreements:
  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
  • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
  • International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)
• Importance in democracy:
  • Protection of individual rights and freedoms
  • Promotion of equal opportunities and social justice

Separation of Powers

• System of government in which power is divided among separate branches
• Three branches:
  • Legislative: makes laws (e.g. Congress, Parliament)
  • Executive: enforces laws (e.g. President, Prime Minister)
  • Judicial: interprets laws (e.g. Supreme Court)
• Purpose:
  • Checks and balances: prevents any one branch from abusing power
  • Promotion of accountability and transparency

Representative Democracy

• System in which citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf
• Characteristics:
  • Citizens vote for representatives, rather than making decisions directly
  • Representatives are accountable to citizens through regular elections
• Advantages:
  • Efficient decision-making process
  • Representation of diverse views and interests
• Disadvantages:
  • Potential for representatives to ignore citizen preferences
  • Risk of corruption and abuse of power

Direct Democracy

• Citizens make decisions directly through individual votes or assemblies, examples include ancient Athens, Swiss cantons, and some US states like California
• Methods of direct democracy include:
  • Referendums, where citizens vote on specific laws or policies
  • Initiatives, where citizens propose laws or policies for a vote
  • Recall elections, where citizens can remove elected officials from office
• Direct democracy offers advantages, including:
  • Increased citizen participation and engagement
  • Direct accountability to citizens
• However, disadvantages include:
  • Time-consuming and expensive processes
  • Potential lack of representation for non-voters or minority groups

Voting Systems

• Voting systems determine how votes are cast and counted in democratic elections
• Major types of voting systems include:
  • First-past-the-post (FPTP), where the candidate with the most votes wins
  • Proportional representation (PR), where seats are allocated based on percentage of votes
  • Ranked-choice voting (RCV), where voters rank candidates in order of preference
• Important factors to consider in voting systems include:
  • District boundaries and gerrymandering
  • Voter turnout and access
  • Ballot design and voting technology

Human Rights

• Human rights are fundamental rights and freedoms inherent to all individuals
• These rights include:
  • Civil and political rights, such as free speech, assembly, and fair trial
  • Economic, social, and cultural rights, including education, healthcare, and fair labor conditions
• International agreements on human rights include:
  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
  • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
  • The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)
• Human rights are essential in democracy, as they:
  • Protect individual rights and freedoms
  • Promote equal opportunities and social justice

Separation of Powers

• The system of separation of powers divides government authority among three branches
• The three branches are:
  • Legislative, which makes laws (e.g. Congress, Parliament)
  • Executive, which enforces laws (e.g. President, Prime Minister)
  • Judicial, which interprets laws (e.g. Supreme Court)
• The purpose of separation of powers is to:
  • Establish checks and balances, preventing any one branch from abusing power
  • Promote accountability and transparency in government

Representative Democracy

• In representative democracy, citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf
• Characteristics of representative democracy include:
  • Citizens vote for representatives, rather than making decisions directly
  • Representatives are accountable to citizens through regular elections
• Advantages of representative democracy include:
  • Efficient decision-making processes
  • Representation of diverse views and interests
• However, disadvantages include:
  • Potential for representatives to ignore citizen preferences
  • Risk of corruption and abuse of power