(return to media page)Bradenton Herald, August 12, 2007
Chaos at the pollsDirect democracy not the answer on growth
Imagine what it would be like if citizens were asked to help make every single decision of local government - every expenditure of public money, every government employee hired or fired, every foot of paving laid, every sewer pipe repaired.
It would be chaos. Gridlock. It also would be incredibly time-consuming. Citizens would need to study these issues virtually full time to cast informed votes. It would be hard to get agreement on many items. And, of course, what if there were a huge undervote, as in District 13 last fall in Sarasota? Could the results be trusted?
Such a system is called direct democracy - every citizen votes on everything. It was the system used in ancient Greece, where the electorate of city-states was relatively small.
In establishing our government, the founding fathers wisely chose a more practical form: representative democracy. The people elect representatives to make most of those decisions about public policy for them. Even back in the 18th century, the country's leaders knew how hard it would be for any citizen to cast informed votes on many policy decisions. That system has served the nation well, from Capitol Hill to the courthouse, for more than two centuries.
Only deep pockets need apply
Now a group of anti-growth zealots is trying to overturn representative democracy in Florida. Calling itself Hometown Democracy, it is gathering signatures on petitions calling for a referendum on how land-use decisions are made. If approved in November '08 elections, this proposal would amend the state constitution to require that any change to a city's or county's comprehensive plan be voted on by the public. Those decisions are now made by those whom the people have elected to represent them: the county commissioners and city council members who face re-election every two or four years. Their decisions are expected to be based on their knowledge of property law, applicable zoning codes, research by professional staff and their own careful study of the issues.
This proposed amendment would substitute a political campaign, with all of its mud-slinging tactics and misleading rhetoric, for the careful process of representative democracy, as the means of making land-use decisions. Moreover, only big developers with deep pockets would be able to mount such a campaign to convince voters their proposed land use would be beneficial. The small grower whose grove is on the fringe of a residential area, the average rancher who sees subdivisions creeping toward his fenceline, probably couldn't afford enough ads and flyers to convince voters a zoning change from agriculture to residential was justified.
Ready for a bedsheet ballot?
And what of the average voter? County commissioners make hundreds of
land-use decisions involving minor changes to the comprehensive plan each year, as well as a few major ones. There's no way most voters could be well-enough informed to cast an intelligent vote on each issue. According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida Home Builders Association, there could be 200 to 300 such changes to be voted on each year. That would mean a special election in odd-numbered years, at a cost of millions of dollars, or else presenting voters a bedsheet ballot containing 500 or more issues at regular elections every two years.
No wonder opponents call it the "Vote on Everything" initiative. It's unrealistic to place such policy-making in the hands of individual voters.
But wait a minute! Isn't America a democracy? What's wrong with the people voting on such things? Voting is the bedrock of our system of government. Isn't that what we're trying to convince the Iraqis?
Of course voter participation in policy-making is vital. The Constitution provides for referendums on major issues like tax increases or constitutional changes. Voters pick the people whom they trust to represent them in local government. If those officials fail to measure up, voters can fire them at the next election and choose new representatives. It happens all the time.
That's representative democracy.
Passing this amendment would subvert growth planning - a process that, while admittedly complex, provides an orderly, fair system for regulating growth. It would leave elected officials virtually powerless in land-use planning, as any decision they make could be overturned by voters. Commissioners might as well avoid the controversy and not vote at all.
If you think the current building slowdown is hurting the Florida economy, wait until the Vote on Everything amendment becomes law. It would be a serial job-killer, as the uncertainty would dry up new building projects.
And if voter participation is low now, wait until voters faced the first 200-item ballot. Those who didn't run away screaming would take a very long time to get through every item - unless they simply voted "No" or "Yes" on every one. So much for the benefits of direct democracy.
The Hometown Democracy petitions are misleading. Signature-gatherers fill their pitch with buzzwords about "democracy" and "voter rights." But they won't talk about the negative impact this amendment would have on your government.
Don't sign them, and encourage friends and relatives not to sign either.