Advantages And Disadvantages Of Representative Democracy

American democracy has been the most sought after breed of government in the world. Democracy is a means for the people to choose their leaders and to hold their leaders accountable for their policies and their conduct in office. The government is not necessarily the one governing the people. Instead, the government are the ones giving the power to the government. However, this type of system only works through a majority take all system. The winners are not always winners and the losers are not always losers. In America, we have a two party system, and they trade power, usually, every other election based on the people. Yet, at times one party or group of people seem to have a disadvantage because of the very nature of the winner take all representative democracy in America. No matter how hard some groups may try to win the democratic game, they seem to always lose. This phenomenon is known as persistent minorities. The way to bypass this phenomenon is by ensuring the rights of the minorities through the constitution and the bill of rights, and redistricting reform.
In a representative democracy, the people elect officials to …show more content…
The United States, although not a constitutional democracy, is a consituticial republic, which essentially has the same characteristics. The conditions provide the opportunity for all men to pursue life, liberty and happiness, and the bill of rights has countless of rights that protect persistent minorities. The equal protection clause in the 14th amendment is a prime example of this. Also, the 15th and 19th amendment gives everyone the right to vote. These precautions make it so minorities do not lose more than they have to, because they are given a voice to obtain what they want. However, persistent minorities must use both their constitutional safeguards and seek redistricting