本文透過台灣在兩千年初政黨輪替後至2004總統大選前夕，公投民主興起脈絡的探討，期能瞭解公投民主與代議民主的關係為何？同時，初步探討台灣公投民主興起的民意動力，以及在現階段台灣的民主發展進程中，公投民主所能扮演以及發揮的功能為何？本文認為台灣的公投民主興起，是在一個代議民主定期選舉機制，配合歷史的偶然 (SARS危機)，以及政治菁英的政治競爭下，所促成定期選舉之外，另一個直接民權表達與落實的正式管道。而公投民主的體制化，除了與代議民主形成一種競爭關係之外，同時可以成為彌補與解決代議民主政治僵局所造成的困境。雖然，台灣的公投民主是誕生在主權萎縮的困厄中，源於代議菁英的競爭壓力，卻也創造了可以直接召喚民意的民主管道。

To examine the relationship between referendum democracy and representative democracy, this paper tries to analyze the context out of which the debate on democracy of referendums originated, starting from the 2000 alternation of power up until the 2004 presidential election in Taiwan. Furthermore, this paper also discusses the power of public opinion which led to the debate on direct democracy and the possible role referendums and direct democracy could play in Taiwan. In this paper, it is argued that the debate on referendum democracy was caused by regular elections, contingent crisis (crisis of SARA), and the competition among political elites. Apart from representative democracy, referendum democracy can be another formal way through which civil rights are directly expressed and realized. Furthermore, institutionalized referendum democracy not only competes with representative democracy, but it can also counterweigh the political blocking of representative democracy. Finally, although the debate on democracy through referendums was caused by the competition among political elites under the lurch of sovereignty, it might also Create a democratic way which can directly convene the public opinions.