Yahdira Aguilar
In a democracy, political representation is crucial in protecting the legitimacy of the system as constituents must trust their government. Essentially, political representation is the relationship that connects the citizens to their government as representatives are meant to act on behalf of the people . As important as it is for the public to feel that they matter to the government, a problem that arises with political representation is that there are so many definitions of what determines the government “speaking” for the people. For me, representation entails lawmakers addressing citizens concerns as best as possible through policies that reflect the greatest good of a diverse nation. Although it is impossible to please everybody’s needs, representatives should be skilled enough to make the populous feel as though their votes matter. With representation there’s two theories that suggest how the public might choose their congressmen and women. In the delegate theory of representation, the representative serves as the direct voice for constituents and is held accountable if they do not meet the public’s demands. On the other hand, trustee representation is the public putting their faith into a representative’s expertise and letting them make the ultimate decisions for the common good. In this model, representatives are less likely to focus on individual groups in order to focus on the well being of the country as a whole. However we see the roles of politicians, political representation and how well it works does not only lay in the hands of those representing but as well as with the public. Both constituents and politicians must work together so that the outcome is favorable. The worst case scenario of political representation is politicians who do not well represent the public’s needs and in turn seeing political participation declining because of the disconnect between the government and its citizens.
In light of some skepticism the public may have towards government officials, there are still many politicians who work to reflect the general public’s concerns. Congress has in recent years seen a growing number of racially diverse members, more female politicians and members who come from various backgrounds. In example from one of our readings, studies found that African American members of Congress were more likely to address specific issues that concern black communities than white politicians. As the nation’s demographic changes, Congress’ demographics should as well to accurately portray the diversity in the public. In having a variety of races in Congress, all communities can at least have descriptive members representing them. The more relatable a politician becomes, the more constituents will have faith in the system to stand for them. Like Senator Max Baucus who has gained popularity through his work with locals, it makes a difference to not only be a match in descriptive representation but as well as having the substance to incorporate beneficial policies. Having politicians and constituents working together not only exemplifies democracy but also has proven itself to be effective in public satisfaction and participation. A nation that stands for and represents it’s people will succeedingly have constituents that stand by their government as a true democracy should be.
