In the State of California, decision-making processes revolve around “direct democracy” (Field, 2011, p.58). As opposed to representative democracy, where elected leaders convey the peoples’ desires at the State and national level, direct democracy calls people to have a say in what policies the State ought to support or veto. To that end, in California, the people no only write new laws and amend the State Constitution but also have the capacity to petition new legislations to await the approval of the voters. In that sense, both ordinary people and powerful interest groups have a chance at influencing the legislation with high chances of the latter controlling the former. In other words, because direct democracy emphasizes on the power of the people, the economy can influence the voters for or against a motion in State. In Field’s words, aside from the rates of voter registration, “[the] financial ability to support candidates” can have voters supporting the interests of one group unknowingly (2011, p.33). While the author makes the given point while focusing on groups that have no access to the ballots but possess enough money to influence what happens in Californian politics, the same applies to the citizens. In other words, if an interest group wishes to pass a motion in the State, they could easily bribe or just endorse a candidate and have him or her meet serve their purposes upon election.
With the given facts in mind, the direct democracy that governs Californian politics is unhealthy simply because it leaves too much power in the hands of individuals. Subsequently, the men and women who are eligible voters have the authority to sway the legislations of the State; however, if they are subject to the whims of a third party, the integrity of State laws become unreliable. On a similar note, assuming that all persons have the capacity to ratify laws and amend the State Constitution is a major flaw as far as the legislation of a region is concerned. After all, just as the Federalists advocated the House of Representatives during the ratification of the American Constitution; representation ensures real democracy.
References
Field, M. (2011). California Government and Politics Today (13th ed.). New York: Pearson Education.
