Are Losing Representative Democracy in Government?

In 2012, 54.9% of United States citizens voted in the Presidential election.  According to the article In the U.S., Almost No One Votes in Local Elections by Kriston Capps, November 1, 2016, with CityLab, one in five eligible Los Angeles residents vote in mayoral elections and in New York City, it is less than 14%.  “In most major cities, fewer than 15 percent of voters turn out to cast a ballot for mayor.” 

So, what motivates civic engagement; why do citizens get involved in their local governments and policymaking?  There are numerous studies on the topic.  While there are many reasons, one is because local government actions and decisions affect the daily lives of individuals.  The City’s fee for a permit, level of service, or responsiveness, for example, are three reasons.  Often, it may be that interest in government results from a personal issue or encounter with government that affects the quality of life or taxes such as decisions that affect the value and use of one’s home.  On the other hand, residents with no issues don’t pay attention to government.  They take the services and benefits of city living for granted.  In this case, residents may not feel compelled to engage in elections or have a desire for civic engagement.  Practically speaking, it’s when there is dissatisfaction that residents get involved in government, raise a voice, take actions, and engage at the ballot box.  It’s been this way for centuries.  

Over the centuries, the public who were not directly involved in their local affairs learned of government activities and voted in elections from information obtained from membership organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, local newspapers, friends/family, and election campaigns.  In particular, the media has historically played a critical and integral role in educating the public and holding government officials accountable.  However, to read and be educated on local affairs, the public also has had to make a conscientious effort to engage.  In this light, elected officials represented their constituents and made decisions based on what they too read, understood, and feel was in the public interest and their constituent’s interests.  

Cities and the public enjoyed this alignment for decades.  Over the past several years, social media has now become popular as a significant source of public and government-related information.  With social media, the convenience and ease of seeing posts and being a voyeur of information have provided the public with instantaneous 24-hour information from citizen reporters, special interests, legitimate news agencies, and anyone else with an opinion, information, or something to share.  As a result, the prevalence of professional and accountable reporting and prominence of established newspapers has significantly diminished.  People see information – accurate and inaccurate – without validating accuracy, working to become factually educated, and distinguishing opinion and news.  

The result of all this is that our nation has many non-voters while the prominence of social media as the source of news increases.  The combination of these factors has tremendous risks for our representative democracy, service delivery, and governance.  There is confusion about what is true and not true, and how leaders move our cities and country forward.  In some cases, this confusion it turns people “off” and encourages them to “close the drapes” and not get involved – only making matters worse.  In the best of cases, it should motivate residents to get involved in government and governance.  

If residents retreat from civic engagement, the squeaky wheel that gets attention at the potential risk of changing norms, standards, and practices that define the majority.  This potentially also results in a Direct Democracy rather than a Representative Democracy that may be unsustainable and lead to more dire consequences in the future.

It is critically important that residents engage in government, vote, and be informed.