The federalist democracy is self-government, as is the case in the United States. It is based on local governments and the civil society. The local government and the civil society, therefore, have a greater role in the democratic process (Yankelovich, D. 2017). This intrinsically involves the participation of the educated citizens. The local governments served as the core of the community participation in the democratic process and a protective arm of the needs and rights of the citizens at large, thus providing a more direct gear for citizen involvement. For the interests of the people to be protected, the personal and social responsibility of the citizens is expedient.
In the exercise of their rights, U.S. citizens have ensured that their interests are considered by the representatives of the local governments. The responsibility of the citizens ranges from participation in the electoral process to defending the core values of the state. Through the elected leaders, who are voted in by a set of people to represent the majority, the citizens ensure that their constitutional rights are upheld. The citizens’ participation includes joining hands with the state to defend the state in emergency states through the armies and also being engaged in peace-fostering programs (Yankelovich, D. 2017. Through such involvements, the representatives take into consideration the conceptual ideas of the people and thus incorporate them into the democratic process. In the upholding of participatory democracy, the participation and involvement of the citizens in the community and at the workplace is imminent if the people the citizens are to take note of their roles and responsibilities as citizens within the vast community.
However, several citizens have taken a keen interest in following up on the activities of the state to ensure that the various interests are catered for (Schattschneider. E. (2015). Through the current technology, many have been able to access the current affairs of the state through the internet. Therefore, they can check on the input of the citizens in the democratic processes. Through such vital information, many citizens are able to understand how the government operates and the roles of the various political systems (Schattschneider. E. (2015). The government has also placed initiatives to increase both social and personal participation and ensure that the decisions of the population are considered.
This is through social movements, education, health and even community development programs. For instance, healthcare programs help bring stakeholders together, and this includes both service providers and receivers. This provides opportunities for dialogues and collaborations to ensure better services. In such platforms, they can get the ideas of the locals with the aim of improving the service delivery as well as the efficacy of the state in resource allocation (Yankelovich, D. 2017). Having made such considerations, it evidently denotes that these tasks are often the responsibilities of the citizens at large in the democratic processes. The citizens, in this case, do not act as mere individuals presenting their interests; rather, through debates, compromise, and the process of decision-making, they make their concerns about the interests of the community known.
Eventually, it remains the sole duty of the people as individuals and the various movements to take part in the democratic process of the state and ensure that constitutional rights are upheld. The citizens, however, according to the system of governance, will always be represented by representatives (Jacob E. Cooke, 1961).
Though sharing their interests with their local government officers and even the senators, they impart positive directives to the political system and the state at large. This has also been of great benefit to the state officers as communication is channelled through various sources ranging from telegram to faxes.
References
Irvin, Lisa. “Challenges and strategies for the Democratic participation.” Beyond Intractability. Eds.Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado July 2006< http://www.beyondintractibility.org/essay/democratic-participation>.
Yankelovich, D. (2017). Coming to public judgment: making democracy work in a complex world. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
Schattschneider. E. (2015). The semi-sovereign people. A realist’s view of democracy in America. New York: Holt, Rinehart, Wilson.
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison 1961) (Jacob E. Cooke, Ed. The Federalist.
