Democracy Held Serve
On Monday electors from the fifty states plus the District of Columbia gathered and cast their votes on behalf of the voters. Thus, our democracy held serve. Despite a myriad of challenges, all of which have been turned back due to a lack of evidence, on January 20th Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be installed into their offices. Of course, not everyone is happy, but then I wasn’t happy when Donald Trump was installed as President. That is the way a democracy works. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.
Many of
the problems that we’ve encountered during this election cycle are related to
the Electoral College. While I would like to abolish the Electoral College as a
vestige of a by-gone age, until a Constitutional Amendment passes, we must
entrust our democracy to this institution. I realize there is an effort
underway in some states to circumvent this institution by requiring that the
electors vote for the winner of the popular vote, something I was supporting, I’ve
had second thoughts since the prospect of having my vote discarded because I
live in Michigan. I have much more to say on this matter, but that’s best left
for another day.
Now, I
want to get to the point of my post. That point has to do with the nature of
our governmental system. We have been witnessing what I believe to be an attack
on our democratic system as a nation. I realize that we are also a republic. In
essence, we are a representative democracy. This truth is revealed in the Preamble
to the Constitution:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Notice that the Preamble begins with the words “We the
People.” Our representative government is based on the will of the people. Not
everyone agreed with this premise at the time the Constitution was ratified. Some
wanted to invest the foundation of the nation in the states, but in the end, it
was the people. This premise was affirmed in a Supreme Court ruling in 1819,
written by Chief Justice John Marshall: “The Government of the Union then
(whatever may be the influence of this fact on the case) is, emphatically and
truly, a Government of the people. In form and in substance, it emanates from
them. Its powers are granted by them, and are to be exercised directly on them,
and for their benefit.” [The American Bible, pp. 120-121].
This
isn’t a perfect institution. No political institution is perfect. Democracy,
even representative democracy, works best when the people remain well informed
about the issues at hand. It also requires that we test what we hear and see and
not give in to conspiracy theories. Our democracy works best, in my opinion,
when we enable the citizens to vote freely and safely. That means making sure
that every voter has the same opportunities to vote. This year’s increased
number of voters does reflect decisions made across the country to expand mail-in
voting, which is the same as absentee voting. My family and I made use of it. I
enjoy going to the polls, but this year it seemed best to use this new
opportunity that “we the people” of Michigan voted to implement with a
constitutional amendment. Voter suppression is a bigger issue than voter fraud—consider
the decision by the Governor of Texas to limit the number of drop boxes to one
per county. That means a county of four million would have the same access as a
county of let’s say, 5,000 residents. That doesn’t seem fair. In my city, there
were four drop boxes. Many of us used them because we were concerned about the delays
seen in the postal service. These drop boxes were secure. The same ballots were
dropped there as in the post office. These ballots were the same as the ones
used at the polls. Then there’s the decision in Florida to circumvent the will
of the people to restore the vote to former felons by requiring payment of
certain fees before being able to vote. That sounds a lot like a poll tax.
Those were abolished, as I remember, by the Voting Rights Act. You see, some of
the states suing my state engaged in rather undemocratic activities (at least
that’s the way I see it).
While
this union requires continued efforts at perfecting, was designed with checks
and balances to give power to the majority while protecting the rights of the
minority. We’ve amended the Constitution over time, but it’s not easy to do.
That’s probably a good thing. But as George Washington declared in his Farewell
Address:
This government, the offspring of our own choice, uninfluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature deliberation, completely free in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, uniting security with energy, and containing within itself a provision for its own amendment, has a just claim to your confidence and support. Respect for its authority, compliance with hits laws, acquiesce in its measures, are duties enjoined by the fundamental maxims of true liberty. The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government. But the Constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all. The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government. [The American Bible, p. 430-431].
We are
a constitutional democracy that takes the form of a republic. It’s imperfect.
Some of the elements of this constitution, including the Electoral College,
reflect that imperfection. Nevertheless, it is the foundation of our liberty as
a people. I think it’s instructive that when push came to shove, our court
system operated appropriately. Even judges and justices appointed by Donald
Trump followed the law rather than any loyalty to the one who appointed them.
For that reason, our democracy held—for now.
Here’s
the thing. Our institutions held, but they were severely challenged. Next time
they could fail. They will fail, if “we the people” do not take seriously our
responsibilities as citizens. That means voting, but not only voting, being
informed as we vote. It requires that we commit ourselves to be concerned with
the good of our neighbors and not giving in to personality cults. We are supposed
to be a nation of laws that are enacted by the people through their
representatives. These laws, as George Washington noted, require our loyalty.
That means we can be supportive of certain political figures, but they cannot
demand our absolute loyalty. Whatever authority they have is given to them we
the people of the United States. On a more theological note, I always keep in
mind, that as a follower of Jesus, he has my loyalty above all (but that’s for
a different essay – see my book Ultimate Allegiance).
The
system isn’t perfect, because we’re not perfect. Nevertheless, as Reinhold Niebuhr
wrote: “Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man's
inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” [The Children of Light
and the Children of Darkness, Kindle Edition, loc. 291]. So, we march on,
hopeful and yet alert to forces that would undermine justice and peace in our
land. If we do this, our democracy will continue to hold serve.
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