1. a pure democracy is a government in which all the people who have the proper qualifications for voting personally take part—or have the right to do so—in the discussion of public measures, and enactment of the laws. this is not practicable unless the state consist of a small number of persons; and a representative democracy is substituted, in which the masses of the people exercise the voting and ruling prerogative[568] by appointing a small number of substitutes to act in their place and represent them. this appointment of representatives is for the most part the only direct way in which the people of this country are able to take part in the government. though the theory is that the people alone are sovereign, this is the only way in which sovereignty can exert itself. even if present in a legislative assembly, they cannot discuss or vote unless they are representatives, duly elected.
2. elections, then, are of the highest importance. if a citizen would exert his sovereign authority, as one of the depositaries of power, he must take part in them. representatives elected to make laws are expected to express the will of the majority of the people whom they represent. they are pledged, expressly or tacitly, to do so. if they disobey the will of their constituents, there is no immediate redress. they can be displaced only at the close of the term for which they were elected. there is some inconvenience and danger attending this method; though the fear of the displeasure of their constituents is usually sufficient to secure faithfulness. where the people are numerous, (there are now more than 135,000 persons to each representative,) it becomes a matter of much interest to know what is their will. it is ascertained by the elections. the people vote for a candidate, or nominee, known to hold certain political principles. as men do not often see or think alike there is generally more than one principle, or system of views, regarding public measures, involved in every election, and therefore more than one candidate. the result of the vote shows the will of the majority. the same question generally occupies the attention of the whole country, and the elections to congress determine the policy of the government, so far as legislation is concerned.
3. the same remarks apply to the election of the president and the members of the state governments. the choice of men for the state legislatures determines the policy and political principles of the state government, and as the majority in state legislatures appoint the senators, the character of congress[569] and its measures are influenced by state elections. the choice of the president is not, in theory, made directly, since electors are chosen, who afterwards vote for the president; but it is understood that they will vote for a certain man; and it has been so invariably their custom to do so, that the result is considered as settled by the direct vote of the people. should the electors do otherwise the people would be very much surprised and displeased, and those electors would have little prospect of appointment to office again. very few men in office are willing to seriously offend their constituents, so that practically, the people vote directly for the president and vice-president they prefer.
4. of all our elections none is considered of so much importance as the presidential. these come every four years, because the constitution provides that the term for which a president is chosen, shall be four years. our elections, both for the general and state governments, are by ballot, instead of viva voce, (the living voice,) as in some countries.
the ballot is a small piece of paper, with the name of the candidate or candidates printed or written upon it, and then folded in such a manner as to hide them, so that no one but the voter can tell what names are on his ballot. a vote by viva voce, is when the voter, in the presence of the inspectors of the election, audibly and clearly calls out the name of the candidate for whom he votes, and thus proclaims in the hearing of all present how he votes. but the ballot enables the voter to vote secretly if he chooses to do so.
