Ennobling Direct Democracy

30 Pages Posted: 13 Feb 2010

See all articles by Sherman J. Clark

Sherman J. Clark

University of Michigan Law School

Date Written: 2007

Abstract

In this essay, I argue that we should be attentive to the effect that direct democracy may have on our public character. Building upon earlier work, I suggest that the initiative in particular threatens to debase us by undercutting a crucial character trait - a form of courage that might best be called "responsibility-taking." The bulk of this essay is devoted to explaining what this means, and why it matters. Why should we care about the effect of political processes on public character? Why is this particular trait important and worth preserving? How is it threatened by direct democracy? In conclusion, and by way of illustration, I suggest that this effect might be countered - that direct democracy might be "ennobled" - through a simple but dramatic change in the way initiative voting is conducted. It should not be anonymous. If we want to tell our gay and lesbian neighbors that they may not marry, for example, we should at least be willing to look them in the eye when we do so

Keywords: Direct Democracy, Plebiscite, Virtue, Character, Courage, Responsibility, Anonymous

Suggested Citation

Clark, Sherman J., Ennobling Direct Democracy (2007). University of Colorado Law Review, Vol. 78, p. 1341, 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1552463

Sherman J. Clark (Contact Author)

University of Michigan Law School ( email )

625 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1215
United States

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