Which of the following is an example of the process of direct democracy?
a) Citizens collect signatures for a petition to recall their poorly performing governor.
b) A constituent calls her representative’s office to weigh in with her opinion.
c) An individual registers to vote in her county.
d) Congress impeaches the president over a scandal.
Answer: a) Citizens collect signatures for a petition to recall their poorly performing governor.
The term direct democracy in reference to a system where citizens appropriate a say in the decision-making process as opposed to though elected representatives is commonly used. The means by which to obtain signatures for a petition to recall a high-standing official, such as a governor, is one of the ways in which direct democracy is manifested.
Signature gathering in a campaign to recall an elected official allows citizens to exercise their universal power over initiating a voluntary recall and even completely ousting the incumbent from office. Through this process the public is able to interact with their representatives so they can ascertain the true performance of their representatives towards ensuring they deliver on their tasks.
The other choices including votes to a congressman, registration to vote, or the impeachment mechanism, don’t qualify to be direct democracy supporters, as their actions base on the participation of a representative, rather, they are either indirect participation or actions of the elected official instead of direct participation of citizen.