A01=John Gastil
activism
activists
american democracy
Author_John Gastil
ballots
Category=JP
Category=JPHF
Category=NHK
citizen action
citizens
community
cynicism
democracy
elections
electoral process
electoral system
engaged citizens
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
faith in government
government
nonfiction
political action
political cynicism
political participation
political process
political science
politics
popular representation
public institutions
public policy
representative democracy
trust
trust in government
Product details
- ISBN 9780520223653
- Weight: 408g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 01 Aug 2000
- Publisher: University of California Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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John Gastil challenges conventional assumptions about public opinion, elections, and political expression in this persuasive treatise on how to revitalize the system of representative democracy in the United States. Gastil argues that American citizens have difficulty developing clear policy interests, seldom reject unrepresentative public officials, and lack a strong public voice. Our growing awareness of a flawed electoral system is causing increased public cynicism and apathy. The most popular reforms, however, will neither restore public trust nor improve representation. Term limits and campaign finance reforms will increase turnover, but they provide no mechanism for improved deliberation and accountability. Building on the success of citizen juries and deliberative polling, Gastil proposes improving our current process by convening randomly selected panels of citizens to deliberate for several days on ballot measures and candidates. Voters would learn about the judgments of these citizen panels through voting guides and possibly information printed on official ballots. The result would be a more representative government and a less cynical public.
America has a long history of experimentation with electoral systems, and the proposals in By Popular Demand merit serious consideration and debate.
John Gastil is a Professor in the Department of Speech Communication at the University of Washington. He is the author of Democracy in Small Groups: Participation, Decision Making, and Communication (1993).
