Politicians don't like referendums; it makes then feel like "the voters" are working around them, bypassing them...which is true. There is no purer form of democracy that a direct voter referendum. Switzerland is the most purely democratic nation in the world today due to their habitual direct voter referendums where EVERYONE votes on an issue. I heard some news reporter call the USA the world's oldest democracy.He was wrong -the Swiss Conferderation is the oldest democracy, formed centuries before the American Republic. Power to the People!
We are NOT a democracy!!!!! We are a REPUBLIC. Big difference
A subtle but important distinction; political scientists refer to the USA as a Democratic Republic. The voters elect Representatives to govern on our behalf. Good idea most of the time, but special interests and corruption sometimes cloud the operation of our Representative form of Government. The Swiss are much more Democratic than we are. The population votes on all important national issues with a binding direct referendum. Issues like immigration,membership in international organiazations (UN, EU) and national defense issues are decided by direct referendum, not buy elected representatives. Special interests have less corrupting power that way. WE could use more referendums on every level of government. Also in most Democratic Republics voting is mandatory.( Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand etc.)