"Legislating to bypass the will of the voters?" Elected representatives represent the voters. Unlike with federal judges, if you don't like what they are doing, you vote them out of office. Most states don't have referenda that allow voters to enact laws without going through their representatives.
"Legislating to bypass the will of the voters?" Elected representatives represent the voters. Unlike with federal judges, if you don't like what they are doing, you vote them out of office. Most states don't have referenda that allow voters to enact laws without going through their representatives.
True enough, but often a state-wide vote will have different results than a statute pushed through a legislature dominated by one party. Who the legislators are can often be the result of gerrymandering districts, which doesnтАЩt affect a state-wide vote. In my state, for example, we have a GOP dominated legislature, but also had a two term Democrat Governor. I could easily see our legislature passing a highly restrictive abortion statute that, were it to be put up to an electoral vote, would be voted down by the citizens at large. Gerrymandering has warped representative democracy beyond recognition.
Direct democracy, in this case the use of a referendum to pass laws, is not something common in most states. It's an exception. In most states, laws have to be passed by the legislature...there is no option to bypass them. I would point out too, that virtually all industrialized countries have passed abortion laws through their legislatures, mostly choosing a 15 week cut off. Right now the pro choice people are kicking their opponents butts in most states. Kudos to them. That's how democracy is supposed to work. I'm confident that we will reach an eventual consensus on the issue if we allow democracy to play itself out.
"Legislating to bypass the will of the voters?" Elected representatives represent the voters. Unlike with federal judges, if you don't like what they are doing, you vote them out of office. Most states don't have referenda that allow voters to enact laws without going through their representatives.
True enough, but often a state-wide vote will have different results than a statute pushed through a legislature dominated by one party. Who the legislators are can often be the result of gerrymandering districts, which doesnтАЩt affect a state-wide vote. In my state, for example, we have a GOP dominated legislature, but also had a two term Democrat Governor. I could easily see our legislature passing a highly restrictive abortion statute that, were it to be put up to an electoral vote, would be voted down by the citizens at large. Gerrymandering has warped representative democracy beyond recognition.
Direct democracy, in this case the use of a referendum to pass laws, is not something common in most states. It's an exception. In most states, laws have to be passed by the legislature...there is no option to bypass them. I would point out too, that virtually all industrialized countries have passed abortion laws through their legislatures, mostly choosing a 15 week cut off. Right now the pro choice people are kicking their opponents butts in most states. Kudos to them. That's how democracy is supposed to work. I'm confident that we will reach an eventual consensus on the issue if we allow democracy to play itself out.