direct democracy
noun
plural direct democracies
: democracy in which the power is exercised directly by the people rather than through representatives : a form of government in which the people vote directly against or in favor of decisions, policies, laws, etc.
First, the United States is not a direct democracy and, as such, citizens do not make decisions themselves, [Professor Harry] Wilson writes. Instead, the power to make laws lies in the hands of their elected representatives in Congress.—
Matt Williams
Matt Williams
also
: a country, state, or territory whose form of government is direct democracy compare representative democracy
Examples of direct democracy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Opponents of ballot initiatives, who include Gov. Ron DeSantis, are pushing legislation to make Florida’s version of direct democracy almost undoable.
—Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
There’s a long intellectual tradition of people not believing in a kind of naive form of direct democracy, going back to the American founders, to today — and even before the American founders, going back to the ancient Greeks.
—Noel King, Vox, 15 Mar. 2025
Though still rare in America, the model reflects the striking idea that fundamental problems of politics—polarization, apathy, manipulation by special interests—can be transformed through radically direct democracy.
—Nick Romeo, The New Yorker, 31 Dec. 2024
But this heavy-handed assault on direct democracy is not the answer.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2025
Nick Romeo reports on the prospects for direct democracy.
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 1 Jan. 2025
Perhaps lawmakers ought to reconsider the virtues of direct democracy.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2024
Trump has a clear political incentive for recasting the end of a constitutional right as the mere prologue to a triumph of direct democracy.
—The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
State delegates who attended the convention were divided in their views on how the country should elect its president, with some suggesting Congress should choose the executive and others advocating for direct democracy, where citizens would vote to elect their leader.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
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Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
There’s a long intellectual tradition of people not believing in a kind of naive form of direct democracy, going back to the American founders, to today — and even before the American founders, going back to the ancient Greeks.
—Noel King, Vox, 15 Mar. 2025
Though still rare in America, the model reflects the striking idea that fundamental problems of politics—polarization, apathy, manipulation by special interests—can be transformed through radically direct democracy.
—Nick Romeo, The New Yorker, 31 Dec. 2024
But this heavy-handed assault on direct democracy is not the answer.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2025
Nick Romeo reports on the prospects for direct democracy.
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 1 Jan. 2025
Perhaps lawmakers ought to reconsider the virtues of direct democracy.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2024
Trump has a clear political incentive for recasting the end of a constitutional right as the mere prologue to a triumph of direct democracy.
—The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
State delegates who attended the convention were divided in their views on how the country should elect its president, with some suggesting Congress should choose the executive and others advocating for direct democracy, where citizens would vote to elect their leader.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
Articles Related to direct democracy
Cite this Entry
“Direct democracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/direct%20democracy. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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