A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

A moral Responsibility

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State and Local Governments

Upper Iowa University

June 28, 2020

A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

A moral Responsibility

There is no better way to approach citizens’ participation in community than to apply the

communitarian view. The view hails and upholds the involvement of citizens in matters

community affairs. The view places value in people in neighborhoods working together to solve

problems that affect them as a community in a bid to better their community. The interactions

brought about by involvement in community affairs is healthy in helping neighbors know each

other well and as well learn from each other. As the neighbors interact, a wide range of topics

are discussed bringing about an understanding of the topics besides developing a sense of

brotherhood and oneness. As the interactions are advanced, political discourse becomes part and

parcel of the discussions with the community members discussing political matters that affect

them as a community and a nation at large. The ground presented offers an opportunity to

participate in community politics in various ways.

One of the best ways citizens participate in community politics is through civic education

of voters. Civic education goes a long way in enlightening citizens on political and practical

aspects of good citizenship besides enlightening them on their rights and duties as voters

(Kennedy, 2012). The citizens volunteer as civic educators by encouraging their peers to

participate in voting as part of their civic duty as their right to elect leaders who would lead and

represent them. Through the civic education by community members, the citizens get the

importance of participating in elections and realize their role in the election of the person who
A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

would elect them. As such, the citizens would own up the leaders elected as well as the policies

put in place. The civic education by the volunteers in the community creates a sense of

responsibility in not only the volunteers but on the other citizens who feel the need to volunteer

in community matters.

The citizens also participate in community politics by voting. While participating in voting

is a civic right, it is also a moral responsibility of citizens. By participating in voting the citizens

carry out their role in community politics by fulfilling the moral obligation. Their participation

ensures the number of votes required by winning candidates is required. It as well ensures that

leaders who have a sense of responsibility are elected. The leaders are obliged to work with a

sense of responsibility knowing there are people who placed them in leadership positions. The

participation in community politics by voting ensures stalemates and policies that require a

referendum to be solved are solved adequately. Voting in the referendum passes a proposal that

would affect the nation or the local area or rejects it (Vincent, 1891). The participation therefore

has a great role in determining the fate of proposals which would affect the citizens directly.

The citizens as well participate in campaigning for their preferred leaders and policies

they feel are beneficial in the place of a referendum. At the local level however, the participation

in community politics is more intense than at the national level. This is made true by the fact the

citizens have the opportunity to interact more often at the grass root level. The citizens as well

feel that political matters touch them more at the grassroots level than at the national level. The

role of the citizens in community politics is therefore great and cannot be underestimated.
A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

References

Dye, T. R., & MacManus, S. A. (2015).  Politics in states and communities (15th ed.). New

Jersey: Pearson.

Kennedy, K. (2012). Citizenship education and the modern state. New York: Routledge.

Vincent, J. M. (1891). State and federal government in Switzerland. Baltimore, Md.: Johns

Hopkins Press.