Close to Home: Save America by studying Switzerland

America's democracy is under duress. Our country is polarized. Civility is strained. We know all these things. The question is what are we going to do about it?

In an attempt to help to answer that question, the World Affairs Council of Sonoma County has arranged for a presentation on Switzerland.

Why learn about Switzerland? The Global Competitiveness Report and US News and World Report consistently rate Switzerland as the No. 1 country in the world, based mainly on economic and political stability and its reputation for inclusiveness.

And Switzerland and America share a long history. In the late 18th century, when America was taking shape as a country, Switzerland's longevity, people's militia, federalism and neutrality served as inspirations to some of our founders.

Later, in 1848, the Swiss studied our government when they created their constitution. In particular, they liked the balance of power structure of our House of Representatives and Senate and copied it almost verbatim.

Closer to home, California sent a delegation to Switzerland in 1911 to study its referendum process, copying parts of it for our own referendum and initiative process. (Unfortunately, California copied things without some important “guardrails.” We have more to do.)

What might we find in Switzerland today if we take a closer look?

The way Switzerland does democracy stands out. Put simply, the Swiss use a bottom-up, burden-sharing approach to democracy. Here are some of the aspects that make it work:

- An effective referendum process. Swiss citizens can challenge all new laws and amendments to the constitution before they become law by gathering signatures (and it's a doable number within a realistic amount of time). On average, the Swiss vote four times a year on new laws. This capability sends a message to representatives: Make sure the laws you enact meet the needs of the people, otherwise they will be challenged and voted down.

- A strong commitment to “states” rights,” i.e., federalism. In Switzerland, the states, called “cantons,” are where a significant bulk of government decision-making is done. Consequently, decisions are made “closer” to the electorate.

- A strong commitment to minority-held positions and views. If you want people with different views or perspectives to feel included in your decision-making process, you need to really include them. The Swiss do. For example, at the federal level, instead of having one person act as the executive of state, i.e., the president, the Swiss have an Executive Council made up of seven people. To ensure that a full range of views is represented, the Swiss maintain an agreement among the major political parties to share these seven federal seats. Thus, all major parties are all always “in office.”

While the Swiss system is unique and probably not transferable in whole to America, at least the processes of state-sponsored referenda and initiatives could be modernized and sharpened to more closely resemble the Swiss system. Oregon has done this already and provides a good example for how to proceed.

We also might seek a more transparent and inclusive legislative process and, then, monitor how California performs under this more Swiss-like referendum system. If we like the results, other states might follow. And, as succeeding states demonstrate success with a Swiss-like referendum process, we could consider a test of the referendum process at the national level.

Do you want to learn more about how the Swiss do things? The World Affairs Council of Sonoma County has arranged for a presentation, “Switzerland: The No. 1 Country in the World,” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Spring Lake Village auditorium, 5555 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa. For more information, go to www.wacsc.org

Walter Niederberger is U.S. correspondent for Tages-Anzeiger, the largest political newspaper in Switzerland and a resident of Healdsburg. Joe Leadem, a member of the World Affairs Council, is a resident of Santa Rosa.

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