Democracy
Democracy is a form of government in which people govern directly or delegate government to representatives they elect. In direct government, citizens assemble to administer government; in representative government, citizens elect officials to do so.
Democracy is a form of government in which people govern directly or delegate government to representatives they elect. In direct government, citizens assemble to administer government; in representative government, citizens elect officials to do so.
Example: Connecticut’s approval on April 8, 1913, gave the Seventeenth Amendment the required state support for enactment. The amendment replaced selection of U.S. senators by state legislatures with election by the people.
Common misconception: Democracy does not necessarily mean direct rule by citizens assembled to govern. Madison used “pure democracy” for that arrangement and distinguished it from a government based on representation.
Sources: The Federalist Number 10, [22 November] 1787; About Electing and Appointing Senators | Historical Overview