Direct election
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 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with Europe and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (August 2022) |
| Part of the Politics series |
| Elections |
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Direct election is a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the persons or political party that they desire to see elected.[1] The method by which the winner or winners of a direct election are chosen depends upon the electoral system used. The most commonly used systems are the plurality system and the two-round system for single-winner elections, such as a presidential election, and party-list proportional representation for the election of a legislature.
By contrast, in an indirect election, the voters elect a body which in turn elects the officeholder in question.[2]
In a double direct election, the elected representative serves on two councils, typically a lower-tier municipality and an upper-tier regional district or municipality.
Examples
Legislatures
- The European Parliament has been directly elected every five years since 1979. Member states determine how to elect their representatives, but, among other requirements, they must be directly elected.[3]
- The United States House of Representatives has been directly elected using first-past-the-post voting since its inception in 1789.[4]
- The United States Senate begin directly electing Senators in 1914—after the passage and ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.[5][6]
Heads of state
- The President of France has been directly elected with the two-round system since the 1962 French presidential election referendum.[7]
See also
References
- ^ StudyHQ. "Direct Election | Definition, Features, Pros & Cons — StudyHQ (2021 PDF)". Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ StudyHQ. "Indirect Election | Definition, Features, Merits And Demerits — StudyHQ (2021 PDF)". Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "How are members of the European Parliament elected? | News | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ "House of Representatives | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: About Electing and Appointing Senators". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: Landmark Legislation: The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
- ^ "The President: Four questions answered". elysee.fr. 2014-11-06. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
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