Notes, 1:00 p.m., February 5,
2001
DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA
Democracy means to be governed by the people. It is a political system in which the people
govern themselves. There are two types of democracy, 1)
direct democracy and, 2) indirect
democracy.
Democracy by
petition is one example direct
democracy. There are three types of democracy by petition. They are initiative, referendum, and recall
petitions. It is used ONLY on a
state and local level. That means that
democracy by petition can be used at the state, county, city and special
district levels.
Voters for a proposed law to the government use an initiative
petition. A minimum number of signatures are required on an initiative
petition. If that action is met, the
government on the state or local level places the initiative on the next
election ballot.
A referendum petition is a way for voters to veto a law passed by legislation. A minimum number of signatures are required on the petition. It is similar to an action that is used on
the Federal level by the President of the States. He uses a veto to
prevent a piece of legislation from becoming law. Voters use a referendum petition to prevent a piece of
legislation from becoming law. Both of
these actions are very rare.
Voters to have an election official removed from office use a recall
petition. A minimum number of signatures are required on the petition. If the minimum number of signatures required
are on the petition, an elected official
can be removed from office.
This can be used only on the state and local levels. This cannot be used on the Federal
level. For example, a recall petition
can remove a governor of a state or a mayor of a town, but it cannot
remove the President of the United States.
Democracy on the Federal Level
A bill is a proposal that is introduced by a member or members of
Congress for consideration to become law.
A majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate
sends the bill to the President for his signature
for the bill to become law. If
the President wishes to prevent the bill from becoming law, he uses his veto
power.
A veto prevents the bill from becoming law and gets sent back to
Congress.
Officially, local governments are nonpartisan. But that is not
always the case. On the Federal level,
most votes in Congress are partisan. A partisan vote is a vote
that is anticipated according to party.
Members of Congress who are
Republican usually vote on measures or bills according to the Republican
Party.
Members of Congress who are Democrats usually vote on measures or bills according to the Democratic
Party. In
each election, both parties try to attain the majority in both
Houses of Congress. It is all a part
of democracy or the democratic
system.