The idea behind public participation is to involve all people living under a single government within the decision-making process that pertains to their country. Doing so allows effectively upholding the core principles of democracy. Thus, understanding the importance of citizen involvement in government affairs may allow identifying its most efficient method of initiating change. Furthermore, this awareness could help appraise the competency of voting as an indirect public participation technique.
Public participation may be crucial not only to uphold historical democratic principles within the USA system of government but also to defend the interests of various strata of the population. People cannot always be involved in all acute processes of government. Thus, sporadic participation allows them to achieve varying degrees of engagement based on their interests. As per personal observations, direct involvement does not create a sustainable difference in contemporary policy-making. Therefore, speaking from individual experience, the more efficient way of influencing modern-day government is through indirect means, for example, voting and contacting appropriate representatives.
Defending the essentiality of indirect public participation requires the appraisal of voter turnout. Voter numbers remain quite low in the US for a first-world democratic country. This circumstance exists because most people may not feel confident in their ability to incite change by performing such a small action. Increasing voter turnout from the current 50% could become possible by raising the overall levels of political involvement among the general populace. Furthermore, doing so among younger age categories that range between 18 and 30 years old could lead to an exemplary model of government.
People’s involvement in public affairs in an indirect manner allows sustaining a more productive level of change, which already existing policy structures could support. Voting may help build a better future for those who involve themselves in the process of public participation in a democratic way. Therefore, increasing voter turnout for previously uninvolved population strata, for example, adults below the age of 30, could allow the body of government to become more representative of its people.