Discover the Power of the People: 12 Fascinating Fun Facts About Direct Democracy!

1. Athens' Ostracism Banishments

In Ancient Athens, ostracism was the original "you can't sit with us" that actually held weight: citizens could vote to banish someone for 10 years, but it was used sparingly and strategically to maintain their precious democracy rather than for petty squabbles and cliquish antics.
Source => jstor.org

2. Swiss Cheese Democracy

Ever wondered how Swiss cheese gets its holes? It's because the Swiss are too busy poking holes in their political landscape with direct democracy: Switzerland's unique system allows its citizens to have a voice in political decisions at all levels, distributing power between the Confederation, cantons, and communes, ensuring proper representation for every slice of their diverse population.
Source => eda.admin.ch

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=> Fun Facts about The-Cherokee-Tribe

3. California's DIY Lawmaking

In the land of Hollywood and sunshine, the people of California have taken democracy off the silver screen and into the ballot box: they can propose laws and constitutional amendments through the initiative process, sidestepping the Governor and Legislature by submitting a draft to the Attorney General, collecting signatures from registered voters, and leaving the fate of the initiative in the hands of the people.
Source => oag.ca.gov

4. Mondragón's Worker Elves Kingdom

Lend me your ears, good folk, for a tale of worker elves and a kingdom not ruled by kings but by the voice of many: The mighty Mondragón Cooperative Corporation is a shining example of democracy in action, as the largest cooperative in the world with a heavy purse holding 18.6 billion euros of combined assets, and armies of over 70,000 loyal employees occupying more than 65 countries.
Source => knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu

5. America's 38 Flavors of Democracy

Who needs the federal level when you've got 38 flavors of democracy? In the US, it's like a choose-your-own-adventure, just with more money and power struggles: Although 38 states have direct democracy mechanisms like the initiative, the referendum, and the recall, it is not present at the federal level. Furthermore, the role of money in politics and the First Amendment significantly impact American direct democracy, causing quite the debate.
Source => journals.openedition.org

6. Glarus' Quirky Swiss Meetups

Gathering in a square to debate attack dogs, free burials, and public transport budgets might sound like a quirky Swiss meetup, but little did you know: the canton of Glarus in Switzerland has been practicing this form of direct democracy since 1387, known as 'Landsgemeinde', where citizens have a say in various local policies.
Source => reuters.com

7. Ancient Athens' Toga Trendsetters

Back in the days when togas were the ultimate fashion statement and democracy was still a baby with a big voice: Ancient Athens allowed only free adult male citizens, constituting a mere 30% of the population, to participate in politics after completing their trendy boot camp, while women had lesser rights and slaves, freed slaves, youngsters, and foreign residents were left to spectate from afar.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Sortition: Faction Free Lottery

Trying to avoid a few bad apples ruining the bunch: Ancient Athens employed sortition – a random selection process – to choose most of their magistrates and juries, aiming to minimize factionalism and oligarchical corruption, with similar systems used in republican Florence and modern citizens' assemblies like in Vancouver.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. Ecclesia: the Not-So-Direct Democracy

Slide to the left, slide to the right: direct democracy is less like a smooth dance craze and more like a wacky trip down memory lane. Remember Athens' Ecclesia-style democracy? Turns out, it wasn't an absolute direct democracy either, with its tribal-elected representatives and limited citizen participation – best to leave it to the Utopian dreamers and stick to those killer dance moves instead.
Source => swissinfo.ch

10. Swiss Recipe for Constitutional Change

Swiss citizens have found the secret recipe to substantially upgrade their constitutional fondues: In Switzerland, registered voters can propose changes to the federal constitution through initiatives and gather enough signatures to force the Federal Council and Parliament to hold a referendum on it.
Source => aceproject.org

11. Viking Emoji Democracy

Who said Norse code didn't include emojis? Vikings were all about socializing and sharing – including political decision making: All free men in Viking communities were allowed to participate in the Thing, a democratic assembly that made it one of the most inclusive forms of democracy in history.
Source => historyonthenet.com

12. Swiss Landsgemeinde: The Voting Party

Who needs a Wii when you've got the Landsgemeinde, Switzerland's legendary outdoor voting party? Get in line for this real-life political rave complete with raised hands and referendum mania: Switzerland boasts one of the oldest forms of direct democracy, dating back to the thirteenth century, where male citizens made decisions through a show of hands at the Landsgemeinde, and referendums were introduced in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, giving free men the power to assent to cantonal decisions.
Source => athene.antenna.nl