Non-partisan democracy
Non-partisan democracy (also
no-party democracy) is a system of
representative government or organization such that universal and periodic
elections (by
secret ballot) take place without reference to
political parties or even the speeches,
campaigns, nominations, or other apparatus commonly associated with
democracy.
A government is called nonpartisan if
*the
law does not permit political parties,
*government officials are not members of political parties,
*government policies are decided by a
direct democracy,
*officials are chosen in nonpartisan
election, or
*no parties have arisen yet within a fledgling democracy.
A nonpartisan system differs from a
single-party system in that the governing faction identifies itself as a party. A single-party government often requires government officials to be members of the party, agree to a particular ideology, and may enforce its control over the government by making all other parties illegal. Members of a nonpartisan government may not share any ideologies. Various
communist nations such as
China or
Cuba are single-party nations.
A direct democracy is considered nonpartisan since citizens vote on laws themselves rather than electing representatives.
In many nations, the
head of state is nonpartisan, even if the
prime minister and
parliament are chosen in partisan elections. The heads of state are expected to be neutral with regards to partisan politics.
Unless there are legal prohibitions against political parties, factions within nonpartisan governments generally evolve into political parties.
An
absolute monarchy, such as
Saudi Arabia, with no legislative branch, is not considered partisan or nonpartisan.
Candidates to an office (or candidates to a
delegate position) are instead chosen strictly by the conscience of the individuals voting for them. Speaking about candidates may even be discouraged, so as not to prejudice others' decisions or create an inharmonious atmosphere. All in the community (or at least those of a certain age, perhaps, and/or those without a criminal record, etc.) are made eligible to
vote and can be voted for. Such a system is considered by some to be also compatible with
technocracy, whereby the solemn atmosphere may tend to elect candidates who may have great abilities and knowledge yet would not otherwise be inclined to participate in a media frenzy or take part in behind-the-scenes power-grabs.
Advocates argue that the perceived self-aggrandizement, promise-making, appeals to limited loyalties, and divisiveness of partisan democracies would be minimized in such non-partisan systems. It is argued that the simple opportunity of being enabled to privately witness and assess the character and initiative of individuals within one's own community provides a better picture of how capable a given individual is of providing future leadership and service. It is also believed that a non-partisan system also expands choice in elections beyond the limited range of choices as are otherwise presented to the public, who will at best have a limited role in partisan systems.
Political parties can provide poorer candidates greater resources and financing to compete against wealthier candidates. Voters may find voting on a party basis more convenient than learning the platforms of innumerable candidates. Many candidates may endorse the same or near identical policies so competing against each other wastes resources or split the vote among them and let a more unpopular candidate with an unpopular agenda win on plurality. The system works with
first past the post but is incompatible with
proportional representation systems.
In nonpartisan elections, each candidate for office runs on her or his own merits rather than as a member of a political party. No political affiliation (if it exists) is shown on the ballot next to a candidate. Generally, the winner is chosen from a runoff election where the candidates are the top two vote-getters from a primary election. In some elections, the candidates might be members of a national party, but do not run as party members for local office.
Nonpartisan elections are generally held for
municipal and county offices, especially
school board, and are also common in the election of judges. In some nonpartisan elections, it is common knowledge which candidates are members of and backed by which parties; in others, parties are almost wholly uninvolved and voters make choices with little or no regard to partisan considerations.
In nonpartisan legislatures, there are no typically formal party alignments within the legislature; even if there are caucuses for specific issues. Alliances and causes with a nonpartisan body are often temporary and fluid since legislators who oppose each other on some issues may agree on other issues. Despite being nonpartisan, legislators typically have consistent and identifiable voting patterns. Decisions to investigate and enforce ethics violations by government officials are generally done on the basis of evidence instead of party affiliation. Committee chairs and other leaders within the legislature are often chosen for seniority and expertise, unlike the leaders in a partisan legislature who are often chosen because of loyalty to a party.
Governments
Very few national governments are nonpartisan, but there are several examples of nonpartisan state or provincial governments. The non-partisan system is also used in many US states for the election of judges, district attorneys and other officials, and many towns also have a completely non-partisan government.
Tuvalu, Micronesia and Palua have non-partisan legislatures, although this is not defined by law.
A non-partisan democracy might take root in sovereign nations, such as occurred in
Uganda in 1986, whereby political parties are restricted by a constitutional referendum endorsed by the people of the country (this system does not have all of the features described above). During a subsequent
referendum in 2005, over 92% of Ugandan citizens chose to bring back multiple parties to Uganda. The government of Uganda was perceived as a de-facto dominant party system instead of truly nonpartisan.
Some Swiss Cantons are also nonpartisan, direct democracies.
Canada and
Spain have nonpartisan
monarchs.
Israel and
India have nonpartisan
presidents.
The
Canadian territories of the
Northwest Territories and
Nunavut have non-partisan democracies. The populace vote for individuals to represent them in the territory assembly without reference to political parties. After the election, the assembly selects one of their number to form a government and act as
premier.
The municipal government of the City of Toronto, Ontario (Canada) is the fifth largest government in the country, governing a population of more than 2.7 million. It consists of a non-partisan, directly elected council. The public may have a general idea of the candidates' political affiliations, but there parties have no official recognition or privilege in the functioning of City Council. Councillors are free to vote on each motion individually, freeing them from any sort of party-discipline.
Until the mid-20th century, a Canadian politician's political affiliation was not shown on ballots. The expectation was that voters would chose people rather than parties. The result was that Canadian citizens voted for party members anyway, and Parliament members voted to support party platforms.
The state of
Nebraska in the
United States also uses the non-partisan system in electing its
legislature. However, its
executive branch is elected in a partisan basis. It is the only state in the United States which has a nonpartisan legislature.
Non-Government Organizations
A system of non-partisan, democratically elected coucils has governed the
Bahá'í Faith since 1963. These councils are formed at
local and national, as well as
international levels, and some such local "assemblies" were elected as early as the late
19th century.
The democracy of
Ancient Greece was a nonpartisan, direct democracy where eligible citizens voted on laws themselves rather than electing representatives.
Historians have frequently interpreted
Federalist No. 10 to imply that the
Founding Fathers of the
United States intended the government to be nonpartisan.
James Madison defined a faction as "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a minority or majority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community." As political parties had interests which were adverse to the rights of citizens and to the general welfare of the nation, several Founding Fathers preferred a nonpartisan form of government.
The administration of
George Washington and the first few sessions of the
US Congress were nonpartisan. Factions within the early US government coalesced into the
Federalist and
Democratic-Republican parties. The
Era of Good Feeling, when the Federalist party collapsed, leaving the Democratic-Republican party as the sole political faction, was the United States only experience with a single-party system.
The
Non-Partisan League was an influential
socialist political movement, especially in the Upper
Midwest, particularly during the
1910s and
1920s. It also contributed much to the ideology of the former
Progressive Party of Canada. It went into decline and merged with the
Democratic Party of
North Dakota in
1956.
*
Nebraska Unicameral History*
List of democracy and elections-related topics
