Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Harry Beran has argued that any democratic population should have a right to secede, regardless of history or grievances. This paper explores the ethical legitimacy of Beran's claim, beginning from a natural-rights default position. It explores defenses of democracy provided by Jurgen Habermas and Thomas Christiano, and suggests that democratic secession may be acceptable within relatively strict limits. It then explores the difficulties of interpreting votes in territorial referenda, and suggests that referenda must be carefully designed if they are to be consistent with the basic goals of democracy. The paper concludes that legitimate democratic secessions should utilize sophisticated techniques such as Borda count voting in referenda design, that multiple referenda may be necessary to confirm democratic choices, and that referenda sequences should include sufficient time for meaningful democratic deliberation between votes.