Write an argument that states your opinion on this question:

Is lobbying good or bad for democracy? Why?

Write one to two paragraphs totaling at least five sentences in response to the prompt.

In thinking through this answer, it is important to begin with a definition of lobbying.

Lobbying is the actions of an interest group to inform and sway the vote of a legislator or policymaker.

The benefit of lobbying is that the interest groups often have subject matter expertise that the legislators might not have.

Lobbying can be bad when the legislators are not being lobbied equally, that is, the two sides of the argument that they are considering and are being educated on are represented by interests groups with vary different levels of power. This means that while the legislator or policymaker is being educated, the argument backed by more money and power is likely to win out.