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Electoral Democracy
Different forms of government have been tried in just about every country on Earth since the beginning of modern history, with varying successes. Out of all these processes, the "lesser" of all evils has been democracy, according to Winston Churchill. However, democracy is not perfect at all, though it seems to be a better-suited government for humankind, especially because it provides us with many freedoms. Minimal democracy is defined as the 20th century democratic political system which means that its most powerful decision-makers are selected through "fair, honest and periodic elections in which candidates clearly compete for votes and in which virtually all the adult population is eligible to vote," according to Samuel Huntington. This definition is an adequate definition for electoral democracy because it provides one with all the elements that should make up an electoral democratic process....
[1: Huntington, S. (1991). The Third Wave. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ]
The definition for democracy includes providing fair and honest periodic elections. In the United States, where electoral democracy is the means by which we elect representatives, periodic elections happen not only every four years for the most important leader, but in between these periods for all leaders in government, starting with a mayor and continuing up through the House of Representatives and the Senate. In other words, elections are a very important part of a democratic government. This thesis thus holds a central element to what electoral democracy…
Another strength of this definition is its mention that representatives are elected through fair and competitive elections in which most of the adult population can vote. This is vital for a democracy to prosper. The adult population must be all inclusive and must definitely have the right to vote, for only this can make it equal. Furthermore, the representatives to government must compete for votes by participating in town hall meetings or debates. A third point this definition makes, which further strengthens it is that the elections must be fair. Indeed, without fair elections one does not have a true democracy. [3: Kallen, H. (1997). Culture and Democracy in the United States. Berrue Circle: Transaction Publishers.]
The only weakness that I can see in this definition is that it does not present the central "freedom" facets to democracy. According to the U.S. Constitution we have many freedoms, including that of press, religion, and speech. This is a central facet to United States democracy. Freedom of Speech for example could contribute to rousing people to go vote, and go vote for a specific candidate. However, for an electoral democracy definition, this is implied in the "fairness" clause, and thus does not necessarily need to be included in the definition, but should be included in a more specific description of such a definition.
This paper has presented a minimal definition of electoral democracy and has stated that this definition is all-inclusive as far as the aspects of electoral democracy are concerned. It has also discussed why these elements are important in democracy, and how they help our society be a better, more free society.
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