Assignment: Direct Democracy
Name:
Direct democracy is a form of democracy in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as
opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on
policy initiatives. Depending on the particular system in use, it might require such things as
passing executive decisions, making laws, directly electing or dismissing officials and
conducting trials.
Considering that we live in an age where we have the potential to be better connected and better
informed than at any other time in history, respond to the following:
Write an essay in which you either support or reject the idea of a direct democracy in this
technological age. Your essay should be approximately 250 words and include the following:





A clear statement of which side you support and detailed reasons why
Acknowledge how technology and the Internet have changed our political system, but
explain why this does or does not support a direct democracy
Include elements that you have learned from all the units in this class from the purpose of
government and popular sovereignty to the ways government functions and our
responsibilities as citizens
Support your views with researched evidence
Cite all your sources at the end