Benchmarks of Democracy: Is the U.S. Falling Short?

Democracy has become the most important form of government globally due mostly to the United States’ wild success in implementing this new type of representative democracy. Democracy is seen by many as “the form of government that best protects human rights,” as the “most likely to produce rational policies” or as the “most conductive to economic growth” (Greenberg 5). Current political scientists find that there are three benchmarks that a democracy must feature to flourish: popular sovereignty, political equality, and political liberty. It is said that, “a society in which any of the three is absent or impaired falls short of the representative democracy ideal” (Greenberg 8). Today, I would like to examine if the United States representative democracy is falling short on any of these key benchmarks.

Beginning with popular sovereignty, which is defined as, “a doctrine in political theory that government is created by and subject to the will of the people” (Merriam-Webster). The book lays out 7 key conditions of popular sovereignty, all of which are of equal importance. However, there is one main condition that I see our current group of citizens struggling with.

The first issue would be the people’s participation in the political process. Voter turnout has remained at around 50% for the past 11 presidential elections , and these numbers are even lower for congressional, or local elections where turnout falls between 40% and 20%. Similarly, there are issues with primary elections or caucuses, in states like Colorado, where only 13% of voters came to caucus for their candidate. This lack of participation is clearly an issue when it comes to popular sovereignty because though every citizen has the ability to participate, with later poll hours and transportation buses being provided in some areas. This is a major problem for our democracy as the book states, “the less political participation there is in a society, the weaker the democracy” (Greenberg 8).

Political equality is the next benchmark laid out by Greenberg and Page, which is defined as “the idea that each person… carries the same weight in voting and other political decision making” (Greenberg 11). Political equality has definitely increased in the United States in comparison with who had the ability to vote and run for office when the constitution was written, but there are still issues with those who had been incarcerated, voting fraud, and the mentally incompetent. This means that still in the US, there are people who are not seen as equals to the general population.

The final benchmark is political liberty, which is defined as “the principle that citizens in a democracy are protected from government interference in the exercise of a range of basic freedoms (Greenberg 12). The United States government has been generally successful in protecting this benchmark of democracy, due mostly to the initial writing of the Bill of Rights and the first amendment. However, there have been threats to political liberty in the past years, with legislation like the Patriot Act, or gay marriage in relation to religious liberty. Though these may be seen as fringe issues to the overarching benchmark of political liberty, it is important to remember the fact that “democracy and liberty are inseparable” (Greenberg 12). If small liberties are pressured, someday the larger ones could be as well.

All in all, the United States democracy is still relatively effective in relation to these important benchmarks. Though there are several issues that need to be addressed, in the grand scheme of things I would say the government is working in this respect. What do you think?

4 Responses to "Benchmarks of Democracy: Is the U.S. Falling Short?"

Kendall Crispin says:

September 7, 2017 at 9:48 pm

I agree with your concern of voter turnout. People seem to have opinions all over social media, and I have always wondered how many people actually voted who posted or commented on Facebook, Instagram, ect. It is really frustrating. What do you think us as students can do to help voter turn out? Since we are young, I think we need to hold ourselves and our friends accountable for voting, and help educate people.

It is crazy to me that there is evidence that everyone is not equal. I think that criminals do not necessarily “deserve” the right to vote, but with voter turn out do you think they would have voted anyways? I think that majorities are hard because the people who are the minority will not get what they want, which can cause uproar. This is evident with recent events in Charlottesville. People who were in the minority of wanting the statue to stay caused a disruption. Every vote counts, but to me it almost seems as though only the winning votes really matter.

Finally, political liberty is a very sticky topic because so many people have different beliefs, and it is impossible to be 100% free. We are bound to our own beliefs and expectations, but the government does do its best to give us freedom. We are very lucky for that, and I think it sparks debates which are key to making a good country.
Christopher Barry says:

September 9, 2017 at 4:41 pm

Voter turnout has to be one of the largest shortcomings of our democracy. Political apathy has been one of the most obvious causes of it. In my opinion, it steams from something lacking in the other two benchmarks of democracy: political equality and political liberty. People see that their views are not being heard or represents and that their voices and votes do not count like everyone’s or that the government is breaching their freedoms and liberties. As a result, people have become disheartened about politics and democracy.
In regards to Kendall’s point regarding social media, it is very interesting to see that the large amount of social media postings regarding politics (as seen by the 2016 Election) does not correlate as well as believed to voter turnout. I would attribute it to a form of political apathy. People see that others think like them (or don’t) and decide not to go out and actually be active in the political sphere because they assume someone else will do it for them, becoming a de facto representative of a group of people/ perspectives.
Kendall offered great advice in regards to voting. We need to encourage everyone to vote and participate in government, no matter if their voices are being heard, what their political beliefs are, what their background is, or anything else for that matter. We also share (or should at least) a common love and devolution for our country and its democratic values. As an American and a supporter of democratic values, it is imperative to participate and being active.
Alyssa Holt says:

September 10, 2017 at 1:50 pm

I agree that the U.S. government has overall been a pretty successful system. Low voter turnout is definitely a problem for our democracy, however I think your comments on political liberty are even more interesting and relevant in today’s world. With civil rights movements breaking down the old-fashioned oppression of minorities, such as LGBTQ and racial groups, the country has shifted and so must the government. It is now crucial for the government to find a balance between protecting peoples’ rights to freedom and liberty while also protecting peoples’ rights to be considered equal.
With the recent alt-right rally in Charlottesville, tensions between those who are fighting to maintain the benchmark of political liberty and those who want to achieve full political equality are high. The government must work hard to find a balance between these rights to maintain a peaceful and safe democracy. While this is a daunting and difficult task, shifting too far in either direction will lead to violence as people feel their basic rights are being taken away.
While making decisions on things such as gay marriage or how to handle white supremacist groups, the government must carefully consider the proper balance of liberty and equality. These two benchmarks now clash against each other but they are both important aspects of a successful democracy and must be maintained.
Lauren Rothenberg says:

September 10, 2017 at 8:47 pm

Evaluating democracy in the U.S based upon these three specific benchmarks is a relatively effective and organized way to measure the success or adequacy of our government. While I do agree that popular sovereignty, political equality and political liberty are the three fundamental components of a highly-functioning democracy, I believe there are extensive underlying influencers that complicate a fair and sufficient evaluation of our government.

I believe that the varied educational levels of our country are what hinders our democracy the most. The differences in education is the root of political inequality, which is exactly the opposite of what should be in a democracy, as outlined via the three benchmarks. The lack of education in some areas, or rather the inadequacy of education, partially explains the lack of political awareness and thus political equality that exists in our country. This political inequality is emphasized through voter participation, as you addressed.

Furthermore, I agree that voter participation rates in the U.S is one key piece of evidence illustrating the flaws in our government system. Educational differences inevitably leads to a certain degree of unawareness, and even insecurity, that ultimately hinders voter participation. As a result, the political equality AND popular sovereignty benchmark are way below the appropriate standard that determines a successful democracy.

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