Reflective democracy
The thesis of reflective democracy requires that people take over the chance to engage in suitable forms of cogitation with others. In turn, they take up this chance to participate in the political process. The support for democratic deliberation is growing, and many have taken over the mass democracy, where the majority’s participation occurs.
Little participation among citizens of liberal democratic states, America being one of them is greatly traceable to the low rates of wealth and income distribution. The connection between socioeconomic status and political participation has a great impact on democracy. Generally, the more socially and economically unequal a society is, the less politically engaged its citizens are. America has more significant inequalities in wealth, which is strongly linked to inequality in political participation.
America being a contemporary democratic state, has reconfigured itself in ways, which exclude the poor from political participation. Most of the world’s democracies, America included, have political participation as a personal decision. This might also explain the reasons for low voters’ turnout.
America’s political system is different from that of most developed democratic countries. They have increased power in the legislature house, a vast scope of power held by the Supreme Court, the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive, and the dominance of only two main parties. In America, third parties have the least political influence.
Democratic states (America included) do not provide “vulnerable” citizens (poor) the chance to develop democratic and political knowledge through participation. The result is that poor people are losing the want to engage effectively in political participation.