Slide 2:
Representative Democracy
The United States has a Representative Democracy.
A Representative Democracy is a type of democracy in which the citizens delegate authority to elected representatives.
What this means is that voters do not vote on every issue that comes up. Instead, they elect people to represent them in within the government.
Slide 3:
A Direct Democracy is a type of democracy where citizens themselves vote on every issue.
This type of democracy was used in ancient Athens.
Slide 4:
Well imagine this... you and your family wake up in the morning and turn on the TV. Every commercial and television show are dedicated to people debating on different issues and bills that they are proposing for passage into law. Every day would be like an election day. You would have to decide on all of the issues being proposed and possibly, develop your own proposal. Why don't we use a system of Direct Democracy?
Slide 5:
Now imagine that over 300 million people in the United States would repeat that process. Keeping track of all of those issues and votes would be a pretty daunting task.
Slide 6:
Instead, we use a system of representation.
We go through an election process where we elect a few people to represent the whole. Each elected official is supposed to represent the interest of the people they represent.
Once elected, representatives are able to proposes bills, sit on committees that research and debate on a proposed bill, and finally vote on bills. This system creates a more efficient government.
Slide 7:
Our system of Representative Democracy is outlined in the Constitution.