by Allison Lee
To scholars of history, iron curtain-coiner Winston Churchill comes as no stranger. His signature cigar and top hat have graced pages of textbooks and quotes that have rolled off his lips transcribed. Though the idea that democracy lacks a certain satisfactory quality wasn’t pioneered by Churchill, he was the one who made famous the argument: “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Democracy has too often been mistakenly championed as the best form of government, but those who are politically involved and aware know otherwise. At its core, democracy is a form of government where the power lies with the people, who exercise said power by voting in elections for officials to represent their interests. Simply put, democracy is the rule of the majority.
The now-popular form of government originated in Athens, where frequent assemblies were held for speakers to voice out their opinions before holding referendums on issues. This way of operation sounds ideal since everyone has a turn to speak and all viewpoints are considered, but as cities started populating, it became less of a viable option. Still, democracy strongholds many governments in the contemporary world, evolving into a system where the people elect representatives into government to amplify the voices of citizens. To many, this sounded like a fair and just form of ruling.
Yet, it is staggering to take a gander at statistics and realize that the train of democracy might be derailing to its demise. Compare India to China, for example: India is the world’s largest democracy and the Republic of China is under the rule of a one-party state; the former is a developing country whereas the latter is a thriving, developed country. Zooming in on economic details, India’s gross domestic product in 2019 was $11.33 trillion, while China managed a booming $14.4 trillion. Why is that so?
A system as ancient as democracy is like an old car, faults are bound to surface. Let’s break down the main problems with democracy and see if there’s a hopeful antidote hidden somewhere.
#1 Inexperienced and Uneducated Voters
A democracy is only as good as the knowledge of its people. The hard truth is that it’s nearly impossible for one individual to master all areas of the economy, defense, law, medicine, technology, transportation, and more, let alone every eligible voter in the nation. Voter eligibility in most countries is based on age, not knowledge; this means that those who have no clue what is at stake for their country due to lack of attention to politics would be casting their ballots uninformed.
Think about the risks of uninformed voters. Most of those voters would go along with the party their family has been voting for instead of understanding each candidate’s policies and making their own judgment. In certain countries, voters are even expected to vote a certain way, aligning their race or religion with one political party, and anyone voting otherwise would be labeled unfavorably.
Elections are national judgments of how fit candidates are to advance the country and enhance living standards. When so much is at stake, every vote counts. In turn, we have to help all eligible voters understand the paramount of elections so they can weigh the pros and cons of each side’s policies and make an informed choice.
#2 Equal Voting Rights
Democracy dictates equality for all; everyone has one vote and everyone is regarded at the same level. Equality is something the human race has been working and fighting for for the longest time, and I’m not going to negate its importance as a pillar of society. However, entitling every person, no matter their level of expertise or knowledge, the same value of votes, means that the most informed voter and the least informed voter have the same say in politics.
Socrates himself has argued that only those who have seriously considered political issues should be allowed a vote. This links back to the previous point; if we wish to have equal voting rights—as we should—then the next logical fix to democracy’s problem is to educate all eligible voters on the election process, their options, and other relevant details.
#3 Voter Suppression
Not many are aware of voter suppression in their country, of the ways the government tries to limit the people’s involvement in politics so as to further their private interests. In The New York Time’s YouTube video, details of the U.S. elections are shown to people abroad, and the reactions are shocking.
Firstly, there was the issue of voter registration. Interviewees from Estonia, Germany, and more were stunned to learn that eligible voters need to register prior to casting their ballots in the U.S. Many countries outside of the U.S. have automatic voter registration; if not, officials will visit the people’s homes to guide them through the process, ensuring those who qualify for a vote have their votes.
Secondly, voting in America takes place on a weekday. A good portion of eligible voters forgo their voting duties for work or school; compare this to other countries who hold elections on a weekend or declare election day a public holiday, it’s safe to conclude that the U.S. is trying to make it as hard as possible for people to vote. Germany’s election days fall on Sundays, whereas in India, it is illegal for your employees to keep you from voting.
Lastly, the voting duration. There have been reports that it can take a U.S. citizen up to seven hours before their vote has been registered. Again, compare this to Estonia’s one minute, UK’s five minutes, India’s 5-7 minutes, Germany’s 5-10 minutes, and Australia’s 10 minutes—many of which bypass physical polls with digital voting platforms—and it seems like the country that prides itself on its democracy is trying to reduce votes by thrashing obstacles onto a voter’s path.
Of course, this pattern of toughening voting for people can be spotted outside the U.S., and when people don’t get their inalienable rights to vote, a small piece of democracy crumbles.
#4 Compromises
Democracy is known for its slow decision-making processes. The goal of satisfying everyone leads to democratic governments seeking compromises for every political issue.
It is no secret that politics is not an easy game to play. Benefits and costs are at the turn of every corner. Still, taking in the opinion of everyone and searching for an appeasing middle ground is time-consuming and much like looking for a needle in a haystack. The aftermath yields only mediocre results at the cost of what could’ve been great benefits. Sometimes, instead of compromising, administrations have to take one for the team and choose the most correct, or at least the least wrong, course of action.
#5 Greed
It’s in human nature to want more of something that fuels us, that keeps us on cloud nine. Greed is so potent that it has started wars and driven wedges between neighbors (case in point: all historical colonizations). The second most deadly sin explains that people in power will forever seek more of that power like moths to a flame.
When that happens, the powerful individual will place his or her needs above all else, deprioritizing what they were elected to do in the first place. This is common sense, a fact that requires no concrete proof. Unfortunately, to eliminate greed would require the reprogramming of all humans, which is not a possibility.
#6 Short Administration Periods
Democracies hold elections at fixed intervals to prevent incumbent officials from amassing power and status. While this unspoken rule means well, there’s a trade-off: the short interval is insufficient for administrations to implement policies that stick. Even if policies were successfully instated, the next administration could very well roll them back and introduce a contradictory one.
When you have countries like the U.S. where there is a constant fluctuation between Republican and Democratic presidents, the incumbent can undo the work of the previous on grounds of contrasting policies and beliefs. In the end, nothing gets achieved and everyone is back at square one.
#7 Popularity Contests
Think back to your high school and college elections for student government. Sure, candidates were asked to give speeches that detailed their strengths and weaknesses, their ambitions and goals for the student body, but how many in the audience actually listened and considered those factors? High school elections are a sham, a popularity contest rather than an assessment of merits, if you will.
At some point, democracy on a global scale took a similar turn. Elections become a race of ‘who can sweet talk the voters better?’. Look at Trump in the recent election. His rallies consisted of him saying things his voters wanted to hear. Which American doesn’t want to make America great again? But when we move past his words to look at his actions and policies, the Trump administration amounted to little in the past four years.
It all boils down to this: is there a solution to the problem with democracy?
In Matthew Flinders’ Ted Talk, he explained that the modern challenges we face are growing to be more and more complex, not abiding by traditional, ironclad political boundaries. Such challenges include climate change, obesity, and mental health. Flinders also posed a question that we should all ponder: “Could it be that if politics has a problem or if it’s failing, that it is too easy to blame the politicians? Could it be that actually, the public are to blame?”
Our duties as lawful citizens do not end with electing representatives into office. In fact, our duties do not end, which is why we need to redefine democracy and fix it to boot. When you zoom out of the picture and digest the general view, the solution to democracy is simple: educate yourself and others. It’s as effortless as sharing posts on social media, striking up a conversation, and understanding that there is nothing shameful or protruding in being politically-aware.
We cannot push people into offices and call it a day. Democracy is the rule of the people. Without us, the people, how can it stand to see the future? We might not be able to architect a perfect, utopian form of government in the foreseeable future, but we sure have the power to fix what is right in front of us.