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An essay on Representative Democracy


 

  In 2000 I voted as an Illinois resident. I voted for the office of the President, I voted for my Representative. And I voted for three local issues. Maybe I voted for a couple of local politicians in my town.
  In 2002, I am now a resident of Santa Monica, California. A couple of weeks ago, I received a Voter's Guide from the State of California. You can see it on the web here. It's 112 pages long. In the opening page, Bill Jones, the Secretary of State, advises me that many Americans have died so that we can vote. He says "we hope that you will respect their sacrifice and honor their memory and support our country by casting a ballot on November 5, 2002."
  Well that's fine and quite commendable. But let's see what I am supposed to be voting on. Here's an example: Prop 48. It concerns "Court Consolidation", and it's a "legislative Constitutional Amendment". Apparently I'm also supposed to elect the Justices of the Supreme Court.
  Now come on. I'm no Constitutional scholar! And what do I know about Justices of the Supreme Court? I haven't gone to law school. And even if I had gone to law school, I haven't done a careful analysis of all of these judges. They all look quite nice, how am I supposed to choose? I suspect that I am not alone in my lack of knowledge. Recently Judge Ronald Kline received a majority of the vote, although not enough to be elected. What voters apparantly did not know was that Judge Kline had been charged by county prosecutors with sexual molestation.
  When the Founding Fathers met to write up the Constitution, they naturally ran into many disputes. One dispute concerned whether the people were really capable of rationally controlling the country. It was Hamilton's position that running the country should be delegated to an elite class of politicians, while it was Jefferson's position that the people should have firm control over their government. The compromise was reached that we should have an electoral college that would take the people's considerations into account. During recent years, many people have said that the Internet will lead to a pure democracy. Using this amazing technology, citizens will be able to vote on every issue. We won't even need politicians anymore!
  Well, I've come to the opinion that representative democracy is not so bad. Frankly speaking, I just don't have time to give each issue and candidate the full analysis that they deserve. I'm quite happy to let my elected officials make most of the decisions. For example, I know that Mayor Hahn of Los Angeles and the Civilian Police Committee spent a long time choosing the new police chief for Los Angeles. I was happy to see that Los Angelenos didn't have to do a thing! And if this police chief turns out to be a dud, I bet Los Angeles won't be voting for Mayor Hahn again!
  I feel nostalgic for the election in Illinois, where I just had to vote for a couple of candidates. Here in California, the weight of democracy hangs heavily on my shoulders. I feel like the guy in a commercial that I saw on TV. In this commercial, the wife is writing a letter to her husband. "Dear John," she writes. "I miss you so much..." Then the camera pans into the study next door. It turns out that John has been working for the last many months on trying to fill out his mortgage forms! Yep, that's me, spending weeks carefully analyzing every candidate and proposition.
  In addition, although I vote for so many propositions, I'm not sure that my opinion counts for much. Judging from the CA ballot, every time California spends money, they would like my approval. But as far as I know, no one asked me when the Governor signed energy contracts that cost California billions of dollars. Maybe my phone was busy, so they couldn't reach me that day?
  Well, just when I thought that I had tacked the CA Voter's Guide, the Voter Information Pamphlet from Santa Monica arrived. On the back, a stern looking Uncle Sam advises me that "You can make a difference...Your Vote Counts!" This booklet is 100 pages long, and it's packed with School Board members, City Council members, and complex measures.
  I tried to ignore the Santa Monica Voter Information Pamphlet, but I soon found myself deluged by mail urging me to oppose Proposition JJ, the Living Wage. I sat down and read the arguments for and against carefully. Right now I'm leaning to vote for it, but I still have to go through a 300-page economic study on the Santa Monica website.
  I certainly appreciate that Santa Monica takes my opinion seriously. But look, for City Council, I will probably vote for a guy that drives the hybrid Toyota Prius, and another guy that was arrested as part of the Chicago Seven. Shouldn't my intentions be pretty clear from that?
  Well, I hate to disappoint Secretary of State Jones, not to mention the noble soldiers that died in U.S. battles. But the stress of voting is proving too much for me. Next election, just give me five candidates and measures to vote on. Otherwise I am heading back to Illinois.