• Thomas Jefferson was central in defining the concept of "civic equality" in the development of the American democracy.Thomas Jefferson image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com
  
  "Equality" is an elastic word with many meanings. "Public equality" is a specific form of the word. It is sometimes called "civic equality" and deals with the basic opportunities afforded citizens by government. It should be differentiated from things such as "social equality" or "economic equality" that often deal with outcomes such as having equal incomes or access to legal representation. Civic equality deals with opportunities, such as voting and debate, while outcomes are left to the market or the abilities of individuals.
  
  

Voting

• The state has the moral and legal obligation to permit its main representatives to be elected by the public at large. This is the most basic aspect of public equality. Therefore, it is a twofold duty: the state must permit it and respect its outcome without prejudice, while individuals must participate in and educate themselves about the process. Opportunities for office-holding, likewise, should be open to all without regard to social status. This would include not only elective office, but also public tasks such as serving on juries.
  
  

Petition

• Another basic and fundamental right in the arena of public equality is the ability for all citizens to petition the government for certain grievances. This is, in short, access to the public courts for all citizens. In this area would be the ability to sue the government itself, an ability that shows the state is not above the law. The very fact that the state is stronger and has more resources than even the poorest of citizens should have nothing to do with the ability of that poorest citizen to successfully take a corrupt government to court and win. The duty here lies with the state itself, to obey its own rules with respect to its citizens without regard to their own social status. Citizens too, need to understand their rights and duties so as to be vigilant in understanding public policy and the law.
  
  

Free Speech and Press

• Voting and petition are the most fundamental rights, but these and all political rights deriving from these require the state to absolutely reject any censorship. Basic public equality requires the state to remain neutral with respect to all views. This is especially relevant in regard to issues of political, legal, economic or scientific debate. The very act of a state adopting a specific view as "official" automatically places its opponents at a disadvantage, violating basic public equality. At the same time as the state avoids endorsing any specific political view constitutionally, citizens also have the duty to educate themselves on the basic issues so as to take advantage of this equality intelligently and constructively.