Direct democracyDirect democracy is any form of government based
on a theory of civics in which all citizens can directly
participate in the decision-making process. Such participation
can take various forms: The restrictive conditions for
citizenship (only a very small male elite could participate) and
small size of the Athens city-state minimized the logistical
difficulties inherent to this form of government. Since then,
however, this form of government has rarely been used (for
example in some cantons of Switzerland and in town meetings in
parts of New England). Modern mass-suffrage democracies
generally rely on representatives elected by citizens. Many
political movements seek to restore some measure of direct
democracy or a more deliberative democracy (based on consensus
decision making rather than simple majority rule). Such
movements advocate more frequent public votes and referendums on
issues, and less of the so-called "rule by politician."
Collectively, these movements are referred to as advocating