Introduction
A system of collaborative decision-making defined by a certain degree of equality amongst members at a crucial point of the process is “democracy” broadly. This description should be noticed for several things. First, democracy is concerned with making decisions that are intended to be binding on all group members. This term encompasses the many organizations and democratic decision-making processes that might be referred to. Therefore, democracy can exist in households, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and states, as well as in transnational and international organizations (Roberts 25). Additionally, the term applies to various election processes, including proportional representation and first-past-the-post voting. This paper discusses various aspects of democracy, with views and support for the practical application of democracy in the United States.
In Favor of Democracy
The legitimacy of democracy can be assessed on at least two levels: instrumentally, in terms of how it performs when compared to other techniques for making political decisions, or internally, in terms of the ideals it upholds.
Making of Good Laws and Policies as per Responsiveness Theories
It is frequently maintained that democratic decision-making effectively safeguards citizens’ rights or interests since it responds to their opinions or preferences more positively than rival forms of government. For instance, some claim that because democracy grants each subject a portion of political power, it pushes decision-makers to consider a broader spectrum of subjects’ rights and interests than are considered under monarchy or aristocracy. Some data suggests that the political system advances groups’ interests more effectively due to their participation in the democratic process. For instance, after regaining their voting rights in the United States in 1965, African Americans could obtain many more state benefits than they had in the past (Graham and Svolik 392).
Moreover, economists say that democracy encourages economic expansion. Many modern authors support various iterations of this instrumental assertion by emphasizing the strong empirical link between the robust protection of fundamental libertarian rights, such as the right to a fair trial, bodily self-respect, liberty of association, and freedom of speech, and the functioning of democratic institutions.
Making of Good Laws and Policies as per Epistemic Theories
Democracies are justified as more trustworthy than other systems in producing correct political judgments following criteria independent of procedure. Condorcet’s Jury Theorem (CJT), a mathematical theory based on the so-called “rule of big numbers,” is the most well-known justification for democracy’s epistemic dependability (Konek and Levinstein 72). According to CJT, if certain presumptions are true, the likelihood that a majority of citizens would choose the right course of action rises and reaches one as the number of ballots cast rises (Ween). CJT appeals to epistemic democrats because, if its basic assumptions are met, judgments made by even moderately sized eligible voters are nearly guaranteed to be accurate.
There is no disagreement regarding the basic mathematics of CJT. The underlying assumptions of CJT are, according to detractors of CJT-based reasoning for democracy, very infrequently, if ever, met in real democracies. The assumption that democratic decision-making appears to be more informed than other kinds of decision-making regarding the concerns of citizens and the underlying factors necessary to advance those interests is a popular epistemic justification for democracy (Konek and Levinstein 77). Democracy entails a conversation and a discussion that reveals social needs and issues. Even while specialists know the best ways to address societal issues, they still require feedback from the general public to correct their prejudices and identify the issues.
Democracy in the United States
Historically, the growth of democracy in the U.S. was positive. The feudal dictatorship in Europe was negated and transformed by the system of political parties, the representative system, the principle of one person, one vote, and the power hierarchy. Highlights in the development of American democracy include the Declaration of Independence, the Charter of Rights, the abolitionist movement, the civil rights movement, and affirmative action. Abraham Lincoln famously stated that the ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people” ‘should rule the country (Karl 171). Nevertheless, as time has passed, American democracy has degraded, alienated, and further strayed from its core principles and original intent—politics-related issues like polarization, identity politics, squabbling among political parties, and social divide.
How the United States is Undemocratic
The U.S. presidential election uses the traditional Electoral College system, in which the vice president and president are chosen by the 538 electors who make up the Electoral College rather than by public vote. The election is won by the candidate who receives 270 or perhaps more electoral votes (Graham and Svolik 394). Such an election process has faults. First, there is a dearth of more diverse representation because the president-elect might not have won the national popular vote. Second, since each state is free to choose its electoral laws, this could lead to uncertainty and chaos. Also, the winner-takes-all design allows political parties and states more inequality. It results in a significant loss of votes and lowers voter turnout.
Gerrymandering is another issue with the political process that the U.S. people are well aware of. Elbridge Gerry, the governor of Massachusetts, approved a statute in 1812 that benefited his party and gave his state an oddly shaped electoral district likened to a salamander (Karl 165). Later, this technique became known as gerrymandering, which describes the improper partition of electoral districts in a party’s favor to secure that party’s advantage and gain as many seats as possible. Every ten years, a census is taken in the U.S. Following the census, electoral district borders will be redrawn per the guiding principle of keeping a nearly equal population in each voting district while considering demographic changes.
The U.S. Constitution grants the authority to redistrict to each state legislature. This gives the governing party in state governments the ability to rig the redistricting of electoral boundaries. Gerrymandering frequently uses two key strategies. One is “packing,” or gathering the opposition party’s supporters in a small number of districts, then sacrificing those districts to win the others (Karl 168). The other is “cracking,” which involves dividing up districts where the opposition party’s adherents are concentrated and merging them into nearby districts to lessen the opposition party’s ability to win over voters.
How the United States is Democratic
American democracy is representative, which translates to citizens electing the government. Citizens in the U.S. elect their government representatives. These representatives in government speak for the opinions and issues of the people. One way to take part in American democracy is to vote. When citizens want to endorse or amend a law, citizens can also get in touch with their representatives (Amberg). Americans can participate in democracy by voting in elections and contacting their elected authorities. Naturalization is the procedure required for one to become a citizen in the U.S. Foreigners must fulfill legal conditions to obtain U.S. citizenship. For instance, they must complete a USCIS officer interview (LĂłpez and Luna 423). Additionally, they must pass English and civics exams before swearing allegiance (LĂłpez and Luna 426). By doing this, foreigners pledge allegiance to the U.S.
One significant duty and right of Americans is to vote. The ability to run for federal office is also another right that all individuals have. Many people who have naturalized are voted to federal offices. Nevertheless, one must be a citizen of the United States via naturalization to serve as president or vice president (Amberg). Every citizen must participate in jury duty. This implies that citizens influence how a case will turn out. In the United States, everyone has obligations. Therefore, everyone has to abide by the law.
Local regulations apply in every neighborhood in terms of federal laws and state laws. For instance, the Selective Service is required of all males between 18 and 26. This indicates they are prepared to enlist if the nation ever needs them. Men should register for the Selective Service even if they are not citizens. The federal income tax returns must be submitted annually by April 15th (Amberg). The government spends this money on the American military, educational institutions, and other initiatives. Different aspects of people’s lives are governed and protected by federal and state legislation. The American Constitution outlines the federal government’s legislative authority; hence issues that must remain the same throughout the nation fall under the purview of federal authority (LĂłpez and Luna 425). For instance, the nation as a whole requires a single monetary system. State authority is for matters that may vary from state to state. States may use many methods to issue driver’s licenses.
Changes or Alteration to Strengthening the American Democracy
There have been ongoing democratic issues in America for more than twenty years. Many Americans who grew up in past decades are unaware of how drastically the nation’s political landscape has changed. There has been a drastic decline in democracy in the United States. Increasing the number of voters’ participation in primaries is one change that needs to be done to enhance Unites States’ democracy. Approximately 20% of eligible voters cast a ballot in congressional primaries. Governments and political parties are advised to strive for 30 percent by 2020 or 35 percent by 2026 (Ginsburg & Huq).
The United States needs to embrace more open primaries and the abolition of congressional caucuses and conferences instead of a yearlong process that perplexes voters. According to Prendergast (246), fair drawing of the congressional district also needs a change to enhance democracy. To prevent the type of solitary gerrymandering that has exacerbated political polarization, it is proposed that the implementation of redistricting committees with the backing of state governments and the electorate on both sides of the aisle.
Another issue America needs to deal with to enhance its democracy is money issues in politics. All political donations, even those made to unaffiliated and unrelated organizations, should be made public. Legislation requiring complete transparency of congressional leadership PAC spending should also be passed by Congress, along with a requirement that the money is used only for political purposes and not for personal expenses (Prendergast 247). Moreover, empowering congressional committees is another change that needs to be looked at to strengthen democracy. This could prevent too much centralization of authority in Congress, and laws should go through the complete committee and amendment processes (Prendergast 256). The American democracy shall foster bipartisan consensus development by enhancing legislative committees’ function.
A Court system to settle disputes between the president and Congress must also be established to enhance democracy in America. To ensure that the U.S. constitutional balances of power are not rendered ineffective, it is unacceptable to demand that Congress constantly engage in a judicial process with apparent flaws (Thomas and Upchurch 9). The current structure puts the legal system in an impossible predicament. Because of this, Congress ought to enact legislation to establish a brand-new category of the federal court that is entirely responsible for resolving conflicts between the three departments of the national government.
Conclusion
Democracy in the United States has evolved, and it can be said that although its applicability has not been fully achieved, the United States is doing better than other countries in the world in terms of democracy. As evident in the essay, democracy is a broad term with many definitions. First, the term applies when making decisions that bind people together. This implies that decisions are usually made to serve the interest of a group and not the individual representatives. The term also applies to the electoral process, where citizens exercise their voting right to choose the leaders they want.
In this paper, it has been shown that the United States exhibits both democratic and undemocratic activities, although the country has matured democracy. The United States is democratic in that its citizens elect representatives through polls, and the contestant with the majority of votes is given a chance to represent the particular group. Moreover, Blacks today have voting rights that they were denied sometime back, showing that democracy in the United States is advancing.
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