Explain how a republic is different from a direct democracy?

Answer 1

In a strict democracy, every individual has an equal vote in decision making such as elections and voting on policies and laws. A republic is similar to a democracy in that a majority vote wins, however, in a republic, representatives are the ones who vote, not the public. The US is a republic, not a democracy. Elected officials in congress "represent" their constituents when voting on matters. Arguably, this is a more practical form of democracy in that individuals cannot be thoroughly knowledgeable on all matters that need to be voted on thus the results should be more sound. Additionally, a national vote on every matter would be impractical. The downside is that if representatives don't vote in support of their constituents, the decisions may not reflect the wishes of the populous.