Direct democracy in a US election year

A representative system in one, a direct democracy in the other? In reality, both the United States and Switzerland are ‘hybrid’ democracies. Here’s what that means for elections, legislation, and life satisfaction. The founding fathers of the US were adamant that the interests of the people should be represented by elected officials, rather than the people themselves. Yet today, direct democracy plays a key role in American politics. The framers of the US constitution worried about following in the footsteps of ancient Athens – one of the world’s first known direct democracies – in part because of the risk of the “tyranny of the majority” over minority groups. Interestingly, one minority they were particularly concerned about was the rich – a group to which they themselves belonged. “Despite the talk in the Declaration of Independence about “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, the writers of the Constitution simply didn't think that the happiness or ...