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One of the hallmarks of democracy as described by Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address is that it is a government “of the people, by the people and for the people”. “Of the people”, that is, not just the nobility or some privileged class, but potentially everybody; “by the people”, that is, it is the people through their representatives who plan the policies, make the decisions and carry out the policies; “for the people”, that is, for the benefit of all, not just the rich or those in power.
Of course, no democracy would work if it required the full participation of all the people all the time. It would be far too unwieldly, impractical, time-consuming and difficult to arrive at consensus. The work of the government is conducted by representatives of the people who have given them the authority to act on their behalf according to the directives of the constitution and legislation.
There are three important ingredients without which a democratic nation cannot survive or function, namely suffrage, consensus, and acquiescence.
Suffrage: the right to vote. If the people do not have the right to vote, then it is no longer a government of the people but a dictatorship. But not every election is democratic. Dictators love to hold elections in which the only candidate is themselves or their specially selected supporters and the elected are free to vote “yes” and subject to retaliation if they vote “no”. The people have not really spoken; they have only listened and submitted to what they heard.
A potential weakness of the right to vote is the right not to vote. If too many of the electorate are disinterested or indifferent or too busy about their own affairs or disgusted with politics, then the door is left open for determined minorities to wield too much power or for entrenched cliques to maintain their control. If I as a responsible citizen want to exercise my duty to vote, then I also have the responsibility to keep abreast of current events and study the issues so I can vote intelligently for what I believe will be best for the nation.
Another potential weakness of the voting system is that sometimes the most qualified or potentially best leaders are not the ones who end up on the ballots. They were overwhelmed by those who had more influential supporters or more funds for advertising or more aggressive killer instincts. Too many of the little people like ourselves were silent.
Consensus: the election returns are accepted as final. The winners take up the duties for which they were selected, regardless of whatever party they represent or their stand regarding the party in power. The people have spoken and the government has listened.
Acquiescence: the results are accepted and cooperated with even by those who voted against them. Those who lose step down. Any new regulations or policies will be accepted even by those who voted against them. Opposition will not cease, nor will controversy or debate, but in the meantime everyone is moving forward in the same direction.
The important thing about a true democracy is not that everyone gets the government they want, the representatives they personally supported or the policies they hold most dear, but that everyone stands behind their elected government and works together for the common good.
What is the use of voting, if I know that I will probably be outvoted? It is because I know that if enough of all the other people who think as I do also vote, our votes might make a difference. And those who are in power or want to be in power will know that they have to take our points of view into consideration, because we will always be there with our vote.
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Bob also wrote a fable on elections
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