We hear a lot from various sources about being a representative republic and not a democracy. What many of these strident voices insisting that we’re not a democracy seem to forget is that a representative republic is a type of democracy.
They mean we’re not a direct democracy.
But I don’t want to start splitting hairs and get into a battle of semantics. The real point behind insisting time and again that we’re “a republic, not a democracy” is that they’re trying to get you used to the idea that someone else should be making your choices.
That your voice isn’t as important.
They’re trying to tell you to sit back and relax. Maybe don’t vote. Because we’re a republic, and someone else can make these decisions for you. It’s also a ploy to convince you that just because someone wins an election in which only 36% of the people turned out, their opinion matters more than yours.
We are a democracy. It’s in a representative form, but the underlying point of a democracy is that the people have a voice.
Growing up, I heard talk of our democratic ideals and learned about the importance of American-style democracy in school. It’s only been recently that all this “not a democracy” talk has started.
Because certain elements interested in minority rule want you used to the idea that your voice shouldn’t matter as much. Because, after all, we’re “not a democracy.”
And it’s the perfect foundation for what’s going on in the Supreme Court right now. Earlier this week, on Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Moore v. Harper. This is a test case, designed to determine whether a state legislature has the right to overturn election results.
In a state where our voter turnout continues to fall, this is a case that could potentially cement the idea that the state Legislature knows best. Don’t like the results of an election? They could overturn it. Our state Legislature is already known for not listening to the will of the people. Look how much it took to get them to even pay lip service to education funding — and they’re still trying to undermine Medicaid expansion.
The reality of the situation is that Moore v. Harper is a true test of whether we, as a nation and a society, value democracy. It’s a test of whether we think that our elected officials should actually represent us, as is the assumption in a representative republic.
The next step, though, is that as people we need to start showing up. And our leaders need to make it easier to hear our voices when we do show up.
We know that the people who show up get to make the decisions. But Moore v. Harper could take it a step further and truly establish the idea that these “not a democracy” people want you to believe: That our voices deserve to be silenced.
Miranda Marquit, Master of Business Administration, is a nationally recognized speaker, writer, podcaster and author. She is the chair of the Bonneville County Democratic Central Committee.