Before I get into this article, I want to start with a personal anecdote. When I was a senior in high school, I took a Civics class. It started with a breakdown of the three branches of government and their duties and powers. For most of my classmates, this was a little beneath them. We had been learning these types of things even before kindergarten. But the teacher was also a history teacher whose primary class was AP U.S. history. As the class went on, he infused history into the lessons and showed us the applications of different procedures, like impeachment and reform. He also challenged us to come up with a better system of government. One thing he repeated over and over throughout the entire semester was Initiative, Referendum, and Recall.
I won’t go into much detail about what each of those things mean. If you're curious, this piece from the National Conference of State Legislatures gives a great explanation of each of those terms. Essentially, these are devices citizens can use to control their government. Initiative is the process of introducing legislation to the legislature. Each state has a different process, but most require some type of petition. Referendum occurs when the legislature proposes legislation to the people to vote on and pass by a popular vote. Recall is the process of removing officials (politicians) before their term is up.
These processes allow ordinary citizens to keep their government in check and working for them. But in 2016, we seem to have forgotten about them.
Aaron Persky is the Judge who sentenced Brock Turner to only six months in prison after raping an unconscious woman. We have all seen the case pop up on Facebook, and most of us have probably seen posts asking California to remove him from the bench. (Recall)
Those of us who have Netflix have also probably seen "Making a Murderer," and most have probably heard of the petition to the White House asking President Obama to pardon Steven Avery. (Initiative) On a side note, this petition is evidence of a lack of Civics education in our schools. Anyone who took a basic Civics class would know that the President can’t pardon a state prisoner. Civics education, or a lack thereof, is another major issue facing the U.S.
I would also like to add an example of referendum that most of us are familiar with as well. The process of legalizing marijuana is not only an example of initiative, but in some states, has been left up to the citizens to decide through referendum.
So what is the link between Steven Avery and Judge Aaron Persky? If it’s not clear already, they both represent legal citizen action against the government. Almost entirely through Facebook, these processes have been evoked to “fix” the government, and it is incredibly frustrating to those of us who are Civics-minded.
I’m referring to the constant complaining about the government I see every day on Facebook. Everything from laws people feel are unjust to police brutality, racism, sexism, rape culture, corruption, abortion, woman’s rights, LGBT rights, legal weed and a host of other issues pop up on our newsfeeds every day. Through the amount of disgust I hear every day towards the political establishment, the primaries should have been over before they started, with Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump winning their respective nominations. Yet we sit contently ignoring those who seek to bring real change, and then proceed to complain about how much it sucks.
Remember, only the people can change the government. If we continue to vote for the same candidates, real change will never come. Use your voice this November. Get out and vote. Sign a petition and know the issues.
