On his June 14 broadcast, CNN’s Lou Dobbs claimed “a defeat for democracy” when the Massachusetts legislature decided not to authorize a voter referendum on whether to ban same-sex marriage in the state’s constitution.
As a regular viewer of Mr. Dobbs, I have not heard him opine when state legislatures fail to approve other referenda as “a defeat for democracy.”
Each state has a procedure to place a referendum on the ballot. This process protects against an unfettered ability to have issues presented to voters that lack adequate support. Under Massachusetts law, the support of 50 legislators is required to place an issue before the voters. The vote in Massachusetts was 151 (77%) against this referendum and 45 (23%) in favor.
Contrary to Mr. Dobbs’ belief, the vote was representative democracy in action. The elected officials who cast ballots against the referendum included both Democrats and Republicans. Some legislators may have been swayed by an April 2007 poll reported in The New York Times that found that 56% of Massachusetts residents opposed amending the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. In addition legislators may have found the referendum divisive and a waste of time and resources.
Placing every issue before the voters for a referendum undermines representative democracy. By making a stand for unfettered referendum, Mr. Dobbs’s position is diminished by the pallor of homophobia.
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