Let’s start at the beginning – what is direct democracy?

In short, it is a system that gives Swiss citizens a first and final say. Direct democracy opposes electoral democracy in that decision making is practiced directly by the people, instead of by representatives of people. And sometimes swords are involved…

As such, it is a return to the original meaning of democracy, or “rule by the people” – hence it is also called pure democracy[i]. Tools of direct democratic decision making include initiatives by citizens, referendums, and assemblies. I will write (much) more about initiatives and referendums later. But regarding assemblies I will only say that yes, in Switzerland they are as you imagine: a bunch of people show up in one place at one time, and vote by… raising their hands… and the swords mentioned earlier serve as your “ticket in”. Knowing the Swiss, the swords stay in their quivers.

While direct democracy could be a complete political system, in practice it is combined with elements of representative democracy. This is also true for Switzerland, which is generally regarded as the world leader in direct democracy[ii], having the most complex and historically best-established system^[iii], but in reality is actually a semi-direct democracy.

Every service designer or lean practitioner will be happy to hear that the current Swiss system came to life iteratively. Emerging co-creation at its best! Citizens have become increasingly informed, demanding and empowered regarding politics. Mandatory referendums for constitutional changes were introduced in 1848. Citizens’ ability to block legislation was introduced in 1878. Yes, people can block a law – doesn’t happen often, more on that later. And citizens’ ability to proactively initiate constitutional amendments was introduced in 1891. So yes, people can literally have the constitution changed. surprisingly, that happens relatively often. More on that later as well.

[i] Encyclopedia Britannica – Theo Schiller: Direct Democracy (2019); https://www.britannica.com/topic/direct-democracy

[ii] International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance – Direct Democracy Handbook (2008); page 188

[iii] Vincent Kucholl, Mix & Remix: Swiss Democracy in a Nutshell (2014); Bergli Books;