Our Nation was Founded on Democratic Ideals
Prior to the publication of John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government in 1689, political philosophers had generally considered a monarchy or an aristocracy to be the best form of government because they believed the people who shared power should be wise and virtuous and that wisdom and virtue were extremely rare. Locke had a more generous view of human nature.
A deeply spiritual man, he placed both individual liberty and political power within a moral framework informed by his theories regarding life in the state of Nature. He stated, as “self-evident” truths, that “all men by nature are equal”, endowed by God with natural rights to “life, health, liberty, (and) possessions”; that “the end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom”, and that “the consent of the people” is the only “lawful basis” for government.
If these ideas sound familiar, it is because they were immortalized by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson, writing nearly a century after Locke, was clearly inspired by Locke as he wrote these words:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
These ideas were revolutionary. Demonstrably so. They provided the inspiration for the American Revolution. Ratified by victory in our War for Independence, the Declaration of Independence established governments based on democratic ideals for the first time since the fall of Athens. Inspired by Locke’s ideas and America’s example, democracy began to take root and blossom around the world. This is the basis for our nation’s reasonably legitimate claim to being the birthplace of democracy in the modern world.
Most Americans today also believe that our government is the most democratic in the world, the greatest democracy in the history of the world, and that other nations have modeled their constitutions on ours. The facts do not back up these other well-known examples of American exceptionalism.
Democracy in America?
It is common and natural for people to exhibit a noticeable bias in favor of their own country when comparing countries in various ways. One form that bias commonly takes is believing one’s own country to be more democratic than it is. That is certainly true in America. Although the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to our Constitution, and the First Amendment Freedoms that are the cornerstone of the Bill of Rights are rightfully considered the Pillars of Democracy, our government is not as democratic as many Americans believe it to be.
There is a great deal of discussion these days about democracy being under assault in America (and around the world). It is. It is also true that democracy is always under assault – anytime and anywhere it manages to take root and blossom. The most successful assault on democracy in history took place over a long, hot summer in Philadelphia in 1787, as fifty-five wealthy men of commerce, many of them slaveowners, convened as delegates to the Federal Convention of 1787 and drafted our Constitution.
There is much to admire in our Constitution. The Preamble is a concise, almost lyrical, summation of the proper role of government. The Bill of Rights, and especially the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment, expanded and codified the rights our government was to secure and protect. Most of the additional amendments that have been made to our Constitution have made our government more democratic. But the body of our Constitution, the part put in place by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, is riddled with antidemocratic provisions, including an antidemocratic amendment process that has made it nearly impossible to remove those antidemocratic provisions.
As a result -
There have been (and are) many other countries in the world that are more “democratic” than the United States.
The Intelligence Unit of The Economist began publishing a Democracy Index annually in 2006, ranking the nations of the world in terms of the state of democracy in each country. Nations are given numerical scores on a total of 60 indicators and grouped into four categories based on their average score: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes. Of the 167 countries included in the 2022 Democracy Index (the most recent), there were 24 full democracies and 48 flawed democracies. The United States has never been ranked as the most democratic country in the world, fell out of the full democracies category in 2016, and is currently ranked among the flawed democracies, as the 30th most democratic country in the world.
With that being the case, it should come as no surprise that -
No other nations have constitutions modeled on ours.
That fact that no other nations have modeled their constitutions on ours was thoroughly documented by Robert Dahl in his book How Democratic is the American Constitution? (2001):
“Among the countries most comparable to the United States and where democratic institutions have long existed without breakdown, not one has adopted our American constitutional system. It would be fair to say that without a single exception they have all rejected it.”
There are numerous provisions embedded in our Constitution that are in direct conflict with the basic principles of democracy, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence (and elsewhere). Dahl cites one example after another where other nations have learned from our mistakes. It is time for us to do the same.
If we acknowledge the flaws in our Constitution, and enact the reforms needed to address them, we can -
"The best defense is a good offense."
There is a great deal of discussion these days about democracy being under assault in America (and around the world). It is. It is also true that democracy is always under assault – anytime and anywhere it manages to take root and blossom. Every election is, to some extent, a referendum on democracy. This year’s election is going to be more important than usual in that regard because the attacks on democracy (and freedom) have intensified. We need to make sure democracy wins on November 5th. For democracy to win, we need to do more than fight off the attacks on democracy, we must score some victories for democracy. An adage common to sports and warfare apples here – when it comes to defending democracy, the best defense is a good offense.
Although the assault on democracy is being led by Republicans in Congress and state governments and the few pro-democracy reforms that have been proposed have generally been introduced by Democrats, it is important to understand that democracy is not a partisan issue. There are a great many Republican voters and some Republicans holding public office who believe in democracy. There are some Democrats who don’t. The “sides” in a referendum on democracy, properly defined and understood, are Champions of Democracy, on one side, and the false friends and true enemies of democracy on the other side.
Making America a Perfect Democracy is a relatively simple matter. We need to enact pro-democracy reforms. Doing so, however, will be incredibly difficult. “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.” The corporatists and plutocrats who currently control nearly all the levers of power in America today will not give up without a fight. They will spend a lot of money in support of the false friends and true enemies of democracy who hold office or are running for office, but we have them outnumbered. They can outspend us. We can outvote them.
Politics is a team sport and a numbers game. To get pro-democracy reforms enacted, we need to elect Champions of Democracy - candidates who support those reforms - to a super-majority of the seats in Congress and/or a majority of the seats in a super-majority of state legislatures.
Making America a Perfect Democracy will not be easy – but it is the task at hand.
About This Website
Given the current level of corruption and dysfunction within our government, the idea of making America a perfect democracy may strike some Americans as hopelessly idealistic. The assault on democracy (and liberty) that is underway in America today will soon make the idea making America a perfect democracy extremely appealing.
Ordinary citizens being actively engaged in civic affairs is essential in a democracy, but the angry, hateful tone of most political activity in America today has led many citizens to disengage from politics.
We are in the midst of the most serious constitutional and political crisis in America since the Civil War. Americans are deeply and bitterly divided. Violence is becoming more common and is an ever-present threat. As strange as it may seem, this perilous situation affords us a rare opportunity to win some critical victories for democracy in America.
Those of us who believe in democracy need to come together, across party lines and despite differences of opinion on divisive issues, in a broad-based grassroots movement to Make America a Perfect Democracy. That is the key to reuniting Americans and healing the deep and bitter divisions that threaten to tear our nation apart.
This website presents a detailed plan for making America a Perfect Democracy. The plan is complete but is open to modification based on input from the citizens who choose to get involved in the movement to implement the plan - and in response to events as they unfold.
This website is part of a Civic Education Project being conducted by Perfect Democracy - a non-partisan 501 (c) (4) political action committee. Our mission is to help concerned citizens develop a shared understanding of "the real gist of democracy", build support for the reforms needed to Make America a Perfect Democracy, and provide educational resources to help in those efforts.
An Overview of the Pages on this Website
DEMOCRACY (The "Real Gist" of Democracy)
The first step in making America (or any other nation) a perfect democracy is for the citizens to develop a shared understanding of the essential elements that make a state or nation a true democracy, a pure democracy, and a perfect democracy.
In a true democracy, the “just powers” of the government are derived from “the consent of the governed” and the will of the people is reflected in the laws that are enacted and the policies that are put in place.
The essential elements of a true democracy are majority rule; an equal vote, or equal representation for all the citizens of a community, state, or nation; and the supremacy of the legislative power.
There are two basic types of democracy – direct democracy and representative democracy. In a direct democracy, the people of a community, state, or nation vote directly on proposed legislation. In a representative democracy the people delegate the power to enact legislation by electing representatives.
Direct democracy is sometimes referred to as “pure democracy” because it is more difficult to corrupt a government when power is shared broadly among all the people of a community, state, or nation. Pure (direct) democracy puts the form of a Perfect Democracy in place.
To make a government a Perfect Democracy, several additional elements must be present: a majority of the citizens who choose to be politically active must be well-educated, well-informed, and be respectful of the rights of others, especially freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
What is wrong with our political system?
OUR CONSTITUTION (Our Constitution Conflicts with Our Ideals)
The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence is a clear and concise statement of the democratic ideals upon which our nation was founded. The Preamble to our Constitution is a clear and concise statement of the proper role of government and why we (the people) established and ordained our Constitution. The Bill of Rights is a powerful summary of the rights we expect our government to secure and protect.
The form of government put in place in the body of our Constitution, however, conflicts with the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. We need to resolve that conflict in favor of the democratic ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
ELECTIONS (Our Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Elections)
Voting is the most obvious way to obtain “the consent of the governed”, and many people consider a nation to be a democracy if citizens have the right to vote. But for that to be true, citizens must have meaningful choices when they cast their votes. The many flaws in the way we conduct elections have one thing in common – they severely restrict the choices of voters.
The Democracy Trifecta
There are three foundational reforms that will put the form of a Perfect Democracy in place and make it easier for citizens to enact the additional amendments and legislation needed to Make America a Perfect Democracy.
PDAs (Perfect Democracy Amendments)
A referendum is an election in which the people of a community, state or nation vote directly to determine whether a proposed law or constitutional amendment is enacted or rejected. Referendums can be called by various methods: by a legislative body, according to mandates in a constitution, or by the people of a state or nation through the “initiative", which also gives citizens the power to initiate and enact legislation, including constitutional amendments, without the involvement or approval of a legislature, governor, or president. Twenty-six states already provide for referendums and/or the initiative in their constitutions.
Perfect Democracy Amendments (PDAs) will extend the use of referendums and the initiative to the federal government and to the states that do not yet provide for them and make it easier for citizens (and legislators) to call referendums and use the initiative by allowing citizens to sign petitions electronically through online accounts and by allowing a “super-minority” of one-third or more of the members of any legislative body to call referendums or use the initiative by signing resolutions.
RCV (Ranked Choice Voting)
All of the flaws in the way we elect our “representatives” have one thing in common – they restrict the choices of voters, often leaving voters with a choice between the “lesser-of-two evils”, or no meaningful choice at all.
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) gives voters more choices and more meaningful choices. Voters are able to cast votes for more than one candidate, ranking their choices in order of preference.
In elections where there can only be a single winner, RCV ensures that the winning candidate has the support of a majority of the voters (at some level of preference).
When combined with at-large elections or multiple-member districts for Congress, state legislatures, or city councils, RCV provides a form of proportional representation - ensuring that equal interests among the people will be represented equally in legislative bodies. If a voters first choice is eliminated, one of their additional choices may still win, ensuring that most (if not all) voters will be represented by someone from among the candidates for whom they cast votes.
A proxy is a form giving the person designated in the form the authority to represent someone else, especially in voting. When you assign your proxy to someone, you authorize them to vote on your behalf.
Proxies for Citizens will allow everyone who is governed by the acts of a legislative body to assign a proxy to any one member of that legislative body and then give members a number of votes equal to the number of proxies they have been assigned, plus one for themselves, on all matters voted on in that legislative body.
The Democracy Agenda
The additional legislation needed to make America a Perfect Democracy:
- A constitutional amendment replacing the Electoral College with direct election of the president using Ranked Choice Voting.
- A constitutional amendment providing for unicameral legislatures at both the state and federal levels of government.
- A constitutional amendment making it clear that corporations are not people.
- A constitutional amendment providing for veto overrides by a simple majority.
- A constitutional amendment giving Congress and state legislatures (not presidents or governors) the power to grant pardons and commute sentences.
- A constitutional amendment making Judicial Reviews advisory.
- Legislation providing the details of how delegates to an Article V convention would be elected, how the business of the convention would be conducted, and how any constitution or amendments proposed by a majority of the delegates would be ratified.
- Legislation repealing the Uniform Congressional District Act. (That would allow states to use ranked choice voting with at-large elections or multiple-member districts in electing a state's representatives in Congress.)
- Revising the internal rules of Congress and state legislatures to ensure that business is conducted democratically.
Our Action Plan
Enacting the reforms needed to make America a perfect democracy will not be easy, but it is the task at hand. The corporatists and plutocrats who currently have effective control of our government will not cede power without a struggle. It will take a broad-based and inclusive grassroots movement to overcome the advantages of money and incumbency that corporate interests and wealthy individual donors currently enjoy.
To believe in democracy means that you believe every problem should be addressed with the solution that has the support of the majority of the citizens. And every issue that needs to be resolved should be resolved with the compromise that has the support of the majority of the citizens.
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The material on this website is adapted from a soon to be published book: Government by the People: A Citizen's Guide to Making America a Perfect Democracy by Winston Apple.
Content is Copyright 2024 Gary Winston Apple, unless otherwise noted..
Permission is granted to share with proper attribution. All Rights Reserved.
This website was created by, is maintained by, and paid for by Winston Apple,
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