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
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
But other forms of democracy — direct democracy (initiative and referenda), participatory democracy (as in budgeting), deliberative democracy (like citizen assemblies) and digital democracy (platforms like Pol.is and Decidim) — are growing, especially locally.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 5 Oct. 2024
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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
But other forms of democracy — direct democracy (initiative and referenda), participatory democracy (as in budgeting), deliberative democracy (like citizen assemblies) and digital democracy (platforms like Pol.is and Decidim) — are growing, especially locally.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 5 Oct. 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 13 Mar. 2025.
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