The democracy is important for the proper functioning of the country

The Democracy is important for proper functioning of a country.

The democracy is important for the proper functioning of the country

The importance of voting and democracy dates back to the time of ancient Greece. The ancient Romans also utilized democracy which set a precedent for future nations. For example, the United States government today closely resembles the Roman government. Voting and democracy is very important in a nation because it provides people an opportunity to voice their opinion and vote for what they believe in, it holds elected officials accountable for their behavior while in office, and it prevents a minority from dictating the policies of a majority. History, as well as the US government today, proves the importance of voting and democracy.

Voting and democracy in a nation allows people to participate in their government. People have the opportunity to vote for what they believe in. In Greece, the Athenian government was run by a direct democracy. Citizens voted directly for proposed bills and certain decisions. Their voting system was different from what we have today in the USA, but was still effective in allowing citizens to have a say. Voting was also used in Roman times and is used today as well. In order for voting to be successful, the citizens of the nation must be educated. If voters are educated on the policies they are voting for, they will understand the possible outcomes of various policies and therefore will make better decisions. For example, the Athenians voted for things like whether or not they should go to war and where a new building should be built. Because boys were educated at a young age in Athens, they were capable of making informed decisions regarding such topics. Athens’ educated population and strong democracy led them to become a powerful nation.

Voting and democracy also holds representatives accountable for the decisions they make while in office. Most representatives in Rome and all representatives in the USA, for example, did/do not serve for life terms. Instead, they serve for a certain amount of time depending on their position. Therefore, if a representative wants to run for another term, he/she must act in the best interest of the people in order to have their support in a future election. If the citizens are pleased with what the representative has to offer, they will reelect him/her. On the other hand, if a representative, such as the president, does not satisfy the needs of the people, the people will not vote for him/her for a second term. In addition, in the USA, if the president commits “treason, bribery, or other high crimes,” according to the Constitution, an impeachment process may occur. If the impeachment is carried out, the president would be removed from office. The impeachment process today is similar to the Athens’ ostracism. Ostracism was a process of banning a leader from Athens for ten years if he/she was seen as a threat of becoming a tyrant. This set the model for the US impeachment process. The US also learned from the problems that were caused by some Roman representatives that served life terms and recognized that defined terms for elected representatives were more appropriate. For these reasons, elected officials must be sure to act in the best interest of the people, otherwise they could be removed from their position. This benefits the nation as a whole.

The final reason as to why voting and democracy are important is because it prevents a minority from dictating the policies of a majority. As Pericles once said, in a democracy “power is in the hands, not of a minority, but the whole people”. The US government is set up so it acts in a manner that benefits the majority of the nation. At the same time, the US has the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is similar to Rome’s Twelve Tables. Both the Bill of Rights and the Twelve Tables were/are used to provide political and social rights to all citizens, even the minorities. By doing so, the government cannot violate the political and social rights of the people, no matter what social class they may fall in. In addition, both the US and Rome have/had a bicameral legislative branch and an executive branch. However, one of the major differences between the two is that Rome’s federal judicial branch was only on a local level, where the judicial branch in the US has both local and federal branches. The judicial branch also protects the rights of citizens. Without voting and democracy, policies that represent only a small portion of the citizens could rule our nation. The policies would not represent the opinions and objectives of the majority.

In conclusion, voting and democracy is crucial in a government because it allows people to participate in their government, holds elected representatives responsible for their decisions, and it prevents a minority from dictating the policies of a majority. As Abraham Lincoln once said, democracy is "government of, by, and for the people". This means that the citizens of a nation have the chance to run and be apart of what controls their nation. If the entire nation participates in the government, the nation will thrive.

democracy is important because it help to govern the government