[lit-ideas] Re: Theory of democracy...
- From: Robert.Paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Robert Paul)
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: 26 Aug 2004 16:23:42 PDT
Andreas wrote:
John expresses the hope that democracy will work. But his hope is based on
idealism. Voters don't know, and worse yet, don't care, what they are voting on.
I replied:
This may be true in national elections; it is surely less true the closer
onegets to a local initiative or referendum.
Andy Amago commented:
When the issues touch a local cord [sic], usually school budgets, the turnout is
higher or even high. Without something like that to galvanize them, local
elections go by unnoticed. I agree with Andreas that if people don't know what
the issues are, then their votes are meaningless.
*I found the first part of Andreas' claim hard to believe: when voter turnout is
as low as it is, one would think that those who know what they're voting on (a
US Senate race e.g.) would far outnumber those who don't. My original remark was
a shallow attempt to suggest that if it were literally true that voters
(unqualified in the original) didn't know what they were voting on, a County
judge might get a vote meant for the Superintendent of Schools. And I doubt this
is true at the level of intent as opposed to the level of execution. That's why
I said that I found the claim that 'voters don't care what they are voting on
(as if they're just making random marks on something nominally thought of as a
'ballot')' unconvincing.
Andy Amago commented further:
The ones who care enough to vote are likely to know who and what they are voting
for. The problem is, few vote. I'm sure there is a way to verify the stats as
to numbers who vote.
*I think we're clearly in agreement. Of course it's possible to verify voting
numbers fairly precisely. Was this ever an issue? (I wonder though--why is it a
_problem_ that few vote? Would I trust all of my fellow citizens to vote
sensibly? No. The only reason I can think of for encouraging a larger turnout is
that we have a de facto oligarchy that I'd like to see defeated.)
Andy Amago commented ultimately:
I suspect Robert Paul has a higher opinion of humanity than I have.
*Unlikely. I have no opinion of 'humanity.' To have an opinion of 'humanity'
strikes me as either a cynical pose or a romantic delusion. Depending.
Robert Paul
Reed College
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