ABSTRACT
Communication is an essential feature of representative democracy. Citizens and leaders must be linked in order for the political system to function effectively. Leaders need to be aware of citizens’ concerns so that they build policy accordingly and so they can mobilize policy support. Citizens must be aware of their representatives’ actions so that they can provide policy feedback and so they can hold leaders accountable in elections. Democratic theory suggests that citizens know their local elected leaders, having worked with them at the local level. In some states, that may still be the case. California, however, is so large and complex that communication between elected leaders and the public is a carefully mediated process. The media, political parties, and interest groups are the vehicles through which these communication functions take place.
