Final answer:
The Progressives wanted to increase citizen participation in the electoral process through reforms like the direct primary, the initiative, and referendum processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Political Changes Sought by the Progressives
The Progressives aimed to reform the political process to increase citizen participation and reduce corruption. They promoted a wide range of electoral reforms, such as the direct primary, which allowed voters rather than party bosses to choose candidates. This was part of their larger goal to encourage forms of direct democracy that would empower citizens.
Significant changes also included lobbying for the direct election of U.S. senators, achieved through the 17th Amendment, and promoting the initiative and referendum processes. These changes allowed citizens to propose and vote on legislation directly. Similarly, the recall system was implemented in many states, enabling voters to remove elected officials from office.
By pushing for these reforms, Progressives sought to perfect democracy through a government that was more responsible and more responsive to its citizens, thereby ending the dominant influence of political machines and corrupt party bosses. Figures such as Robert M. La Follette and Theodore Roosevelt were central to these efforts, advocating for the public's greater control over government and the dismantling of corrupt systems that favored special interests over the common good.