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Direct election

Definition

Direct election refers to the process in which voters directly choose their representatives or leaders, without any intermediaries or indirect methods.

Analogy

Imagine you and your friends are voting for a class president. Instead of having someone else count the votes and decide who wins, each student gets to cast their vote directly for the candidate they want. This way, every vote counts and there's no middleman involved.

Related terms

Seventeenth Amendment: The Seventeenth Amendment is a constitutional amendment ratified in 1913 that established the direct election of United States senators by popular vote.

Indirect election: Indirect election is a method where voters elect representatives who then make decisions on their behalf. It involves an intermediary step between voters and elected officials.

Popular sovereignty: Popular sovereignty means that political power resides with the people, who have the ultimate authority to govern themselves through elected representatives.