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I agree that referendums require a well-informed public, exhaustive debate, and a good visibility for each opinion expressed.
Now, they have it in Switzerland without any major problem that I'm aware of, they still can eat apples. :)
For reference, the entire country of Switzerland is only 9m people covering 15K sq-mi. The Los Angeles metro area is 18m people covering 33K sq-mi. The only reason it works there is the county is so small.
It’s impossible for the average American to be that well informed.
Let’s do a little exercise. List the legal status of abortion in every state. Weed? Gas leaf blowers? Healthcare.
I can’t. I doubt there’s many who can.
Further, “Switzerland does it” is * not* a very good argument. On the practicality side of it, the US is far, far more comparable to the entire EU in population and land area than we are to any given member state.
In the US, it would become a tool for special interests to advance unpopular agendas by bypassing normal representation, relying on the inability of normal Americans to actually read everything.
This is why we have representatives in the first place.
Switzerland is like the size of New Jersey...