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Some of the best examples of using technologies to strengthen the democractic role can be found in the efforts of voluntary campaign organizations. NOT-FOR-PROFITS IN THE DEMOCRATIC POLITY Two orthodoxies have constricted debates about contemporary democracy to an unhealthy degree. First, the consuming concern with the democratic deficit tends to narrow such debates to issues within the mainstream institutions of democratic life parliaments, councils, voting, the relationship between legislators and executives, and citizen perceptions of politics and politicians. This thesis stresses the phenomenon of citizen disengagement with conventional politics, or the democratic deficit. Three findings bring this thesis to life. The first is the rapid reduction of active party memberships since the 1950s. Even in instances with noted surges in party membership, such as the height of the recent popularity of Britain s Labour Party, the numbers subsequently dive to pre-existing levels or lower. The second finding regards lower electoral turnouts. For example, the turnout for the last general election in the U.K. was the lowest for such an election in the 20th century. Moreover, the turnout, even for highprofile local and regional elections in the John A. Taylor and Eleanor Burt January 2001/Vol. 44, No. 1 COMMUNICATIONS
Communications of the ACM – Association for Computing Machinery
Published: Jan 1, 2001
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