Does the US practice direct or representative democracy?

Answer 1

It is a representative democracy. In a direct democracy, citizens vote directly on issues concerning the community, while in a representative democracy, the citizens vote on people to represent them in making the decisions.

Answer 2

The United States is a Representative Democracy. The rest of this answer is intended to make sure you have the complete answer, but all you need to know is that the USA is a Representative Democracy.

You and I don't decide whether to increase the size of the military (an example), our elected officials do. We elect these people to go to Washington to represent us, hence the term Representative Democracy.

In a Direct Democracy, everyone votes on every issue. However if every citizen was in Washington debating and voting on things, then the factories wouldn't be running and the banks would be closed. Instead we choose one from among us (our "representative") whose task is to understand the issues and make choices that are best for us. If we don't feel that they have been making the best choices then we choose somebody else to represent us when the next election comes.

There are some elements of Direct Democracy in our country however. Occasionally, citizens can vote directly on "ballot questions". These Ballot Questions usually appear on a ballot when you go to vote in November. These are cases where you can directly tell the government what you personally would like to see happen, rather than depend on your elected official to make the decision for you. An example might be "should we put fluoride in the water?". If more people vote yes than no, then it is deemed to have passed.

There is one further complication. The United States is not formally a democracy. It is what is known as an "indirect democracy" (or a James Madison Republic), because although we vote for president every four years, our votes do not select our president. The president is actually chosen by a group of 538 people, called the Electoral College. The Electoral College always follows the will of the people in selecting a president, however it does not have to.

Answer 3

Democracy is a political concept. Democracy is subdivided into two forms---representative and direct. If you're talking about the federal government, then the US is a representative democracy---meaning, we elect our representatives in the legislature and executive branches, where then those representatives will make, vote, and approve laws. Direct democracy--meant that the people themselves will make, vote, and approve laws. Direct democracy only occurs in state and local governments.

Answer 4

The U.S. is technically a representative republic, not a democracy.

Answer 5

The US practices a representative democracy, where citizens elect officials to represent their interests and make decisions on their behalf.

Answer 6

representative