Constitutional scholar Sanford Levinson discusses how the Constitution limits democratic self-government. Most citizens see voting in elections as a major duty of citizenship. Political parties and the media focus almost exclusively on elections as the source of the nation’s governing “mandate.” Why, then, don’t elections make more difference in the policies and activities of our government?
Sanford Levinson holds the W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair in Law at the University of Texas Law School. He is also a Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Texas and current a Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard University. The author of over 250 articles and book reviews in professional and popular journals, Levinson is also the author of four books on the United States Constitution, including *Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (and How We the People Can Correct It).*