Modern labor rights, environmental policy, and basic equality for marginalized groups (women, POC, LGBT people etc.) under the law, are frequently touted as victories of liberal democratic systems but almost all of these rights exist because of massive civil disobedience, and often violent protests.
In all cases, you need huge support of the voter base for a particular issue before voting for a candidate to represent it is ever an option. Even then, there is simply no way to hold elected officials accountable to implementing their platform, and how could there be? No plurality of elected officials would ever want to pass that law in the first place.