This legislative session has been difficult. I have submitted written testimony, signed in support or opposition to numerous bills, and tried in every way available to make my voice heard. Yet, as we are near the end of the session, I cannot escape the feeling that the majority party in our state Legislature has disregarded the voices of many of its constituents.
When nearly 100,000 people signed in against a bill only to be told that their participation was fraudulent, despite security safeguards designed specifically to prevent such abuse, the dismissal felt both unfair and deeply troubling. And when legislators publicly declare that the opinions of thousands of their constituents are unimportant and that they intend to proceed regardless, we are no longer witnessing the healthy functioning of a democracy. Instead, we are left with a travesty of broken promises and a tone-deaf process that undermines public trust.
In moments of political strain, it is worth returning to the words that have anchored this country through its most turbulent eras. When Abraham Lincoln stood at Gettysburg and invoked a “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” he was not offering a poetic flourish. He was issuing a challenge, a reminder that the endurance of our nation depends on the consent and engagement of the governed.
Nearly 160 years later, that question still resonates, especially in states where one party maintains long-term control over the machinery of government. Washington state is no exception. Legislative decisions on issues such as taxation, public safety, and institutional oversight often spark intense public debate. And when testimony overwhelmingly opposes certain proposals, citizens understandably question whether their input genuinely shapes the decisions being made.
This tension is not unique to any one political party or region. It is inherent in representative democracy itself. Elected officials are entrusted with using their judgment, but they are also obligated to remain responsive to the people who placed them in office. When the balance tilts too far—toward rigid partisanship on one side or toward reactive populism on the other—the system’s legitimacy weakens.
Lawmakers do face complex pressures. Budgets must be balanced, constitutional constraints respected, and long-term consequences weighed. Expert testimony, legal precedents, and structural considerations all shape the policymaking process. But none of these factors diminish a core truth: Public trust is sustained only when citizens believe their government listens to them with sincerity and humility.
When public hearings feel perfunctory or decisions appear predetermined along party lines, that trust erodes. A functioning democracy requires more than procedural compliance; it requires an active commitment to listening, one that treats the public not as an obstacle, but as a partner in shaping policy.
Lincoln’s message reminds us of the fragility of self-government. The Gettysburg Address was not merely about honoring sacrifice; it was a call to renew the commitment to a system that depends on the voices of ordinary people. Self-government survives only when leaders see themselves not as guardians of a partisan agenda, but as stewards of a public trust entrusted to them by millions of individual citizens.
The people of Washington, like people everywhere, represent a rich tapestry of beliefs, concerns, and experiences that cannot be neatly packaged into a party platform. Their input should never be treated as an administrative formality. It is the foundation of policymaking in a representative republic. Listening deeply to that input is not a concession; it is an affirmation of the principles that distinguish democratic governance from rule by ideology alone.
A democracy worthy of its people is one that continually recalibrates itself toward them.
At Gettysburg, Lincoln spoke of a “new birth of freedom,” a renewal of the nation’s founding promise. Today, that renewal may take a quieter form: leaders who remain attentive to the voices of the governed, and a public that rightly expects its concerns to be taken seriously rather than filtered through a partisan lens.
If we aspire to preserve a government truly “of the people,” then listening, earnest, unfiltered, and ongoing must remain at the heart of our civic life. Only then can we meet Lincoln’s test and demonstrate that this democracy, and the ideals it embodies, can indeed endure.
Jeffrey A. Slotnick is the founder and president of Setracon Inc., a Tacoma-based firm specializing in enterprise security risk management, consulting and training to align security with business goals.
