Democratic Practice Vs Democratic Theory

On the short list of consensi that people can reach lies the fact that many benefits and deficits come from the democratic system of elections. The part where opinions vary and tempers begin to flare occurs when determining where exactly the system’s pitfalls lie. Two articles, Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory and The Responsible Electorate, both explore different views on democracy’s flaws. In the article Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory, the authors, Bernard Berelson, Paul Lazarsfeld, and William McPhee, discussed the roles of voters in a democratic system. The authors hypothesized that citizens must be educated, involved, and informed in order to vote responsibly. The authors opposed the idea of straight ticket voting, because people tend to vote for a political party and then do not research whether or not individual candidates best represent them as individuals. …show more content…
Key, Jr. explained how ineffectively the electoral college represents the will of America’s voters in The Responsible Electorate. Unlike Berelson, Lazarsfeld, and McPhee, Key believed that voters are competent enough to make educated decisions. Key takes the blame of poor government off of the voter and puts it on a lack of adequate candidates for the voters to chose from. Later, Key went on to say, “If people can only choose from among rascals, they are certain to choose a rascal.” Key also took the time to point out how he believed that many politicians misinterpret what citizens desire. Concluding his article, Key stated that voters can make responsible decisions, but the government will never meet the needs of its people until a candidate that represents what the people need