U.S. is not a true democracy
Several letter writers recently have stated that we have a democracy in the United States. These people are confused. Our government is that of a republic or a representative democracy. It is not a democracy.
A democracy is literally “rule by people,” a system of government in which the citizens exercise power by voting on everything. In other words, the citizens, as a whole, form a governing body and vote directly on each issue.
Under American constitutional law, a republic refers to a form of government in which elected individuals represent the citizens and exercise power according to a set of laws under our constitution, which includes a separation of powers with an elected head of state. A representative democracy is a type of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials who represent a group of people, which is not the same as a direct democracy.
In our federal, state and local governments, with the exception of some small communities in Vermont that govern by town hall meetings, we elect representatives who vote as they told people they would, or they vote based on what they think is right. If the people don’t like the way they govern, then the people vote in the next election to replace their representatives. That is a whole lot different than the people, as a whole, voting on every issue, which is what happens under a democracy.
Charlotte Craven, Camarillo City Council member