Human Rights Article Twenty-One: The Right to Participate in Government

Everyone has the right to take part in the government of their country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. Everyone should have equal access to public service, and the will of the people should be expressed through genuine elections.

• Government is supposed to serve the people.
• That means people should have a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape their lives.
• Not only on election day.
• But throughout the process of governing.

What is happening?

• Around the world, many people still feel disconnected from political decision-making.
• Some live under governments where elections are not genuinely free or competitive.
• Others face barriers to voting.
• Political districts may be manipulated.
• Opposition candidates may be restricted.
• Journalists and activists may be intimidated.
• Money can have enormous influence over campaigns and public policy.
• Even in functioning democracies, people may feel that elected officials listen more closely to wealthy donors, powerful corporations or political parties than to ordinary citizens.
• Many people are technically allowed to participate but still feel that their voices do not matter.

Why is it happening?

• Political systems often become concentrated around power, money and institutions.
• Campaigns can be expensive.
• Political parties can become disconnected from communities.
• Lobbying and financial influence can shape public policy.
• Voting systems may make some voices more powerful than others.
• Misinformation and political polarization can weaken public trust.
• And governments may make decisions through complicated processes that ordinary people find difficult to understand or influence.
• The deeper problem is not simply whether people are allowed to vote.
• It is whether people have meaningful influence over the decisions that affect them.

Who is affected?

• Everyone is affected by government decisions.
• Workers.
• Families.
• Students.
• Businesses.
• Communities.
• Young people.
• Older people.
• Minority communities.
• People living in poverty.
• People whose voices are rarely represented in government.
• Future generations are affected too.
• Decisions about education, healthcare, transportation, housing, energy, technology, the environment and the economy can shape society for decades.
• When people are excluded from those decisions, policies may fail to reflect their needs.

Who is already creating solutions?

People and communities around the world are experimenting with new ways to strengthen participation.

• Voting rights organizations work to make elections more accessible and fair.
• Election monitoring organizations help protect the integrity of voting.
• Community organizations help citizens understand government and participate in local decisions.
• Participatory budgeting programs allow residents to help decide how public money is spent.
• Citizens’ assemblies bring ordinary people together to study difficult issues and recommend solutions.
• Open-government initiatives make government information easier to access.
• Civic technology projects create new ways for people to communicate with governments and participate in decision-making.

And local communities are creating neighborhood councils, public forums and collaborative planning processes that bring decision-making closer to the people affected.

What can we do?

• Vote. Elections remain one of the most important ways people influence government.
• Know who represents you. Learn who makes decisions at the local, regional and national levels.
• Participate between elections. Attend public meetings, contact representatives and join community organizations.
• Protect fair elections. Support transparent voting systems and equal access to the ballot.
• Follow the money. Understand who funds political campaigns and who influences public policy.
• Demand transparency. Government decisions should be understandable and open to public scrutiny.
• Bring decision-making closer to communities. People affected by policies should help design them.
• Experiment with better democracy. Citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting and community councils can complement traditional representative government.

The systems-change question

Instead of asking:

“How do we get people to participate in politics?”

Ask:

“How do we build political systems where participation actually changes outcomes?”

• Article Twenty-One reminds us that democracy is more than voting every few years.
• It is the idea that people should have a meaningful role in shaping the systems that govern their lives.
• Government should not simply happen to people.
• It should happen with them.
• The will of the people should not be a slogan.
• It should be the foundation of government.
• Because political power ultimately belongs to the public.
• We the people means all the people.