Constitution of the United States
Article 4 - Section 4. “The United States, (The federal government), shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.”
In a Republic the representatives of the people have authority to vote on behalf of the people. In a Democracy the majority of the people (51%), override the vote of the 49% in all Legislative matters.
The government created by the Founding Fathers was to be a Republic and not a Democracy. Our government was to be governed by the rule of law, not the will of the majority. In an unbridled Democracy the majority has the power to suspend the rights of the minority.
In California and many other states, the voters are permitted to vote on ballot initiatives. This is an example of Democracy in action. States that allow statewide initiatives to decide law are not using a Republican form of government and are therefore in direct violation of Article IV.
The members of our state legislatures were elected to protect their state from this kind of abuse, not to promote it. If they cannot do their assigned job they should be voted out of office.
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