Judy Lo Jacono, a native of Switzerland, is a graduate student at Pepperdine University in Malibu.
Every election sees Californians criticizing direct democracy and wondering what changes can be made. I grew up in Switzerland, a country considered the queen of (quasi) direct democracy, where in off-years we vote three to five times and during candidate elections we might vote seven times in a year.
This intense form of direct democracy works very well in Switzerland because there is a population of only 7 million and because throughout the years (people's initiatives have been around since 1891) private citizens have learned to work with the legislature on issues they care about.
One of the benefits of direct democracy is that citizens share the responsibility with their government on important issues regarding public matters. By being active, society can help start a debate with the legislature to ensure that politicians are pursuing policies that Switzerland wants.
In 2005, legislators approved a law to give inheritance and tax rights to gay couples (same as married heterosexual couples), but conservatives opposed to the decision collected 50,000 signatures to force a referendum. This was the first time that a country held a nationwide referendum on this issue. The election resulted in 58 percent of the voters, more than 1.5 million people, agreeing with the Legislature. The turnout was 56 percent, a high percentage compared to other elections.
Our frequent elections do sometimes lead to low participation rates. Turnout of 40 percent or so means that only a minority of the population actually makes some of the decisions.
But when important decisions are on the ballot, Swiss citizens show up in large numbers at the polls, demonstrating that they do value their role in that shared form of democracy.
Judy Lo Jacono, a native of Switzerland, is a graduate student at Pepperdine University in Malibu.
