Abstract
On a proceduralist account of democracy, collective decisions derive their jus-
tification—at least in part—from the qualities of the process through which they have
been made. To fulfill its justificatory function, this process should ensure that citizens
have an equal right to political participation as a respectful response to their equal status
as agents capable of self-legislation. How should democratic participation be understood
if it is to offer such a procedural justification for democratic decisions? I suggest that, in
order to overcome the structural procedural disadvantages affecting the actual, effective
opportunities that citizens who hold nonmainstream views have to exercise their right to
political participation, the enhancement of such opportunities requires securing space for
contestation. Against this background, I vindicate the (currently underestimated) role of
conscientious objection as a form of political participation