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Party Politics

DOI: 10.1177/13540688060667842006; 12; 579Party Politics

Claes H. de VreeseIntroduction

Parties, Media and Voters: Challenges of Direct Democracy: An

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PARTIES, MEDIA AND VOTERS:CHALLENGES OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY

An Introduction

Claes H. de Vreese

Political parties are key actors in representative democracies. However,direct-democratic processes pose challenges for political parties, and refer-endums and citizen initiatives are increasingly being used to legitimize andpass new legislation or prevent proposed legislation from being imple-mented. This special issue of Party Politics is about parties and directdemocracy in an international and comparative perspective. The articlesfocus on key actors in a referendum (the political elites/parties, the mediaand citizens) and in particular the challenges facing political parties indirect-democracy processes.

The opening article (De Vreese) investigates the potential challenges thatpolitical parties face in referendums. Ambiguous cueing, internal dissidence,electoral volatility and a limited impact on citizens prime informationsources reduce the influence of political parties. Large, centrist politicalparties have the worst performance record in terms of getting their votersto follow the recommendation of the party, while smaller, ideologicallystrongly profiled parties are more successful in aligning their voters withparty policy. The article highlights the conditions in which political partiesare more (or less) likely to control a referendum.

The second article (Kriesi), too, specifies the conditions under whichpolitical parties are successful in direct-democratic votes. The articlecontends that the political elites play a crucial role not just in representa-tive systems, but also in the direct-democratic process. On the basis of theSwiss experience, the article demonstrates that the outcome of the direct-democratic vote heavily depends on the issue-specific configuration ofpower in the political elite. The results support the notion that consensualelites readily get their way, but that the situation is more complex, whenelites are divided.

The third article (Hobolt) demonstrates that although direct democracyallows citizens to undercut the will of their elected representatives, politicalparties are in fact in a privileged position to influence voters perceptions ofthe issue on the ballot. The article examines how and to what extent parties

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can influence referendum outcomes. It argues that as pivotal informationproviders in referendum campaigns, political parties can influence theframing of and uncertainty associated with the ballot proposal, and thus,in turn, affect the voting behaviour.

The fourth article (Bowler and Donovan) takes the perspective of directdemocracy in the United States, where political parties have traditionallybeen weakened in direct-democracy votes. By examining the origins ofdirect democracy in the American states, the article assesses how directdemocracy has affected American political parties. The article shows thatthe direct-democracy push was largest in states where Populist forces werestrongest. Throughout the twentieth century, a more restrictive state legalenvironment for parties emerged and was associated with weakertraditional party organizations. American parties have subsequently chal-lenged restrictions placed on their organizations and on their ability toengage in campaigns. The article concludes that American party organiz-ations have become visible actors in direct-democracy campaigns, thoughtheir role is different from that of parties in Europe.

In the final article (Donovan and Karp), the perspective is broadened byan examination of the antecedents ofcitizen supportfor direct democracy.The article contends that the expanding use of direct democracy in manyestablished democracies reflects a desire to provide citizens with moreopportunities to be involved in political processes outside party organiz-ations. These changes are assumed to be embraced by those who demand

greater citizen involvement, though the underlining motivation remainsunclear. In the article, scholarship assuming that support is likely to comefrom citizens who have a deep interest in politics and are politically activeis contrasted with work claiming that those who find themselves on theperiphery of politics, and are largely disenchanted, find such proposalsattractive. Based on a six-country comparison, the article finds that, inparticular, younger citizens and those who are more interested in the politi-cal process are more supportive of direct democracy.

Most of the individual articles included in this special issue were

presented and discussed at a conference in Copenhagen in June 2005. Theseminar was generously sponsored by the Holberg Foundation. I take thisopportunity to thank not only the sponsors, but also the participants at theconference, the contributors to this special issue, the reviewers and theEditors ofParty Politics.

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