Is the US a democracy? Yes, but It’s more complicated than you thought.

America is a democracy – of the people, by the people, and for the people. In Greek, “demos” means people. That is what the framers intended, and that’s how it’s always been, right? Maybe, but not exactly. Recently, we’ve been hearing an unfamiliar argument: the United States of America is not a democracy. 

Between the contours of a hyper-partisan American political landscape lies a constituency that asserts, “America is not a democracy; it is a constitutional republic.” For most Americans, that is a jarring statement. Are they right or wrong? The answer, actually, is yes and no. Let us explain. 

When taken at face value, the idea that America is not a democracy makes a lot of assumptions, the first of which is that America is not a direct democracy. In a direct democracy, the nation’s constituents vote on every federal law, similar to the referenda that some states hold. Instead, in the US, laws and policies are voted on and approved by members of Congress–representatives whom the people from each state directly elect. 

What about the President? The American people directly elect the head of state, right? Not exactly. American voters cast a vote for an individual candidate. Still, those votes are tallied at the state level and used to determine each state's allocation of electoral college votes; the electors elect the President. 

Moreover, some critics of American democracy are correct when pointing out that the word “democracy” does not appear in the Constitution. Although America is not a direct democracy, it does not mean democracy is absent in both form and function. 

Democracy, like ice cream, comes in many flavors. Imagine you walked into your neighborhood ice cream shop, and they were serving freshly churned democracy. In front of you are several different flavor variations. Once you pick your flavor, how many scoops? Cup or cone? Sugar cone, cake cone, waffle cone? And don’t forget the sprinkles. You get the point. Ice cream treats are not all made the same, nor is democracy.

Various forms of direct democracy exist in America. At the state and local levels, voters directly elect their city council members, mayors, school boards, governors, and state legislators. One person gets one vote, and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat. Likewise, in some states and localities, ballot initiatives and referenda allow voters to directly voice their support or opposition to specific legislative proposals. In this instance, these jurisdictions enact laws through direct democracy.

At the federal level, the American electorate votes–using a direct democratic process–for their members of Congress, electing two senators from each state and one representative from their designated congressional district. These men and women represent their constituents’ interests in Washington; each state has two senators and a varying number of representatives allocated according to its population. 

Many Americans do not realize that congress members were not always directly elected. In May 1912, Congress passed the 17th Amendment, later ratified by the states in April 1913. This change to the Constitution allowed voters to elect U.S. senators directly for the first time. Before its passage, state legislatures chose who would represent their state in the U.S. Senate.

So what about that statement: “The US is a constitutional republic”? The Constitution governs the country. The “republic” part implies the people hold the power, elect their representatives, and elect (or appoint) a president–not a monarch. It is undoubtedly true that the United States is a constitutional republic, meaning the country rests its foundation on a constitution–the supreme law of the land. Moreover, a “republic” is a form of government where the people hold the power. However, the representatives that Americans democratically elect exercise that power and do so subject to the rules of the Constitution. 

Per the constitution, a democratic process elects officials to represent the people in the federal government in Washington, D.C., and represents a democratic republic that governs a union of states by distributing certain powers. Each state has a democratic republican government formed almost exclusively through direct democracy. 

Whether our elected representatives represent our interests in Washington is a contentious debate. Recent polling from Gallup in August 2023 indicates that only 19% of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job. Despite this, the fact remains that the United States is best described as a representative, federalist, democratic constitutional republic. It’s like a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone in a sugar cone with sprinkles. Putting it in a cone or adding some topping does not stop it from being ice cream (which, if you choose the flavor yourself, is certainly democratic). 

The United States is a democracy–just one of many flavors. The mix of many flavors gives the United States an incredibly powerful and enduring framework, and fully appreciating its multiple facets requires a nuanced understanding of government and civics. That leaves a lot of room for anti-democratic actors to sow confusion. As always, consider the motive. Anyone who tells you that you don’t live in a democracy might have an agenda to undermine your fundamental right to choose your leaders.

1. National Archives, “17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913),” February 8, 2022, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/17th-amendment#:~:text=Passed%20by%20Congress%20on%20May,were%20chosen%20by%20state%20legislatures.
2. “U.S. Government,” U.S. Embassy in Argentina, https://ar.usembassy.gov/u-s-government/#:~:text=While%20often%20categorized%20as%20a,law%20of%20the%20United%20States.
3. “Congress and the Public,” Gallup, https://news.gallup.com/poll/1600/congress-public.aspx.