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October 21, 2024
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2:38 pm
Ballot Amendments Are A Bad Way To Do Government – Here’s Why:
By: Christopher Saul
Early voting starts today – October 21.
We have plenty of other vital issues on the ballot – including six amendments and a ballot referendum in Okaloosa County.
While many people will see this as a ‘power to the people’ kind of thing – I might have to take a contrarian opinion on this and say that I’m just not in love with the idea of direct democracy through the amendments and ballot referenda.
If we did this, everyone – including me – wouldn’t have a vote on the six amendments we have in front of us this year. I think that’s a good thing.
Here’s why:
The Difference Between A Republic and A Democracy – And Why It Matters
First and foremost – it’s anti-republican. That’s small (r) republican, not the GOP.
The Founding Fathers created this country on representative government – which means we elect someone to a position to act as a fiduciary for our collective interests to the best of their abilities. While they may not always vote how we want them to – they represent most of us for the most part, most of the time (in theory).
The arrangement above is sufferable, because we can send an expert (or not an expert – our choice) to make decisions on our behalf that require plenty of time for study and review. Those whom we elect need to weigh the costs and benefits before they make a decision.
If we, as the electorate, get a burr under our saddle about enough of their votes – we get rid of them.
The representative government allows us to focus on labor suited to our own skill sets and have a more efficient society.
Direct democracy, like what we see at play when we vote directly for constitutional amendments, requires mountains of individual legwork. Trust me, I had to run down all of the information and interview myself about the constitutional amendments, Which wasn’t a five-minute exercise, I promise you.
No Micromanaging: Give The Legislature A Chance To Do Its Job. If It Does A Poor One, Vote ‘Em Out.
In short, ballot amendments allow the people who are supposed to represent us a chance not to make the hard decisions that some of us are not going to like, no matter how they vote. Still, it’s their job.
While the idea that we should all get a say is important – direct democracy is the least efficient way to do it. The situation reminds me of an old New Yorker cartoon where a passenger stands up and says something to the effect of ‘The pilot is out of touch; who thinks I should fly the plane?’
While we should all have a say in the plane’s destination – leaving the minutia of throttle and angle of attack to someone dedicated to it’s expert application makes a lot of sense.
That’s not to say people shouldn’t pipe up if the pilot messes up – but we should focus on choosing the destinations as voters. The smaller details may be better dealt with by pilots who align with our general principles as passengers.
What Do Ballot Amendments Really Mean?
That brings me to my next issue with ballot referenda – they can easily get picked apart.
Now, this point doesn’t apply to legislature-initiated referenda (amendments 1,2,5, and 6), as the legislature knows precisely what their ballot measure was supposed to mean. After all, they wrote ’em.
With voter-initiated referenda, it’s way too easy to interpret or fail to interpret what they were ‘supposed to mean.’ Benign and malicious actors can change the intended meaning of the measure in the legislature, essentially rendering the voter-initiated ballot amendment toothless – or at least with significantly less sharp teeth.
Take Amendment 4 from 2018. Voters passed the amendment to allow the restoration of voting rights to felons. After the amendment’s passage, voters required the state legislature to put the restoration process into law. This requirement meant the legislature had to interpret what the millions of voters thought they would get when the measure passed. They decided that the voters intended to have a system where ex-cons had to pay all restitution and complete all probation before they could restore their full civil rights. Many activists who worked to have the bill passed said that was not their intent – that they wanted the person to have their rights restored immediately after they left the cell block. Maybe what the legislature enacted was exactly what voters wanted – maybe not.
The only people who didn’t get to specify were those who voted for (or against) the measure.
Should amendments three or four pass, we will see more confusion afterward.
All because we want to try a halfway measure in direct democracy.
So, What Should We Do About It?
We are a republic – it ain’t perfect. But as Winston Churchill said, it’s the best we got. He said it more eloquently – but you get the idea.
Since we aren’t going to fix that problem today, check out our content about the various amendments and hear from politicos and experts about what they would do (or not do. Or might do, depending on the legislature) before you vote. Hit the button below for more.
If you don’t like this opinion, email Christopher directly to tell him how wrong he is: christopher@midbaynews.com. Or, go over his head to his supervisor – news@midbaynews.com.
Christopher Saul
Christopher Saul is the Publisher of Mid Bay News and has lived in Northwest Florida for the past decade.
He graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in journalism and earned a Master’s in Public Administration (like an MBA, but for government) from Florida State University.
Saul was named a 2024 40 under 40 and wrote his Master’s thesis about a merger of Niceville and Valparaiso’s city governments.
He’s married to the boss, Abby, and has three kids.
The post Ballot Amendments Are A Bad Way To Do Government – Here’s Why: appeared first on Mid Bay News.
