Simone Lawson
Direct election is a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the persons or political party that they want to see elected. The United States Constitution has been amended over the years to allow for the direct election of senators and representatives, and the president of the United States is elected through the Electoral College. The first major European country to use direct elections was France in 1848, and many countries in Asia and Africa have since adopted direct elections for their heads of state.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country | United States, France, Germany, Philippines, Turkey, South Korea |
| Office | Senators, President, Head of State, Members of the House of Representatives |
| Election System | Plurality, Two-Round, First-Past-the-Post, Ticket Voting |
| Election Frequency | Every five years, four years |
| Electoral College | A group of electors chosen by each state |
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What You'll Learn
Members of the House of Representatives
The United States Congress is made up of two chambers: the House of Representatives (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house). Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the U.S. Constitution to pass or defeat federal legislation, known as bills. The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population.
According to Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, to be eligible for election as a representative, an individual must be at least 25 years old, have been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years, and be an inhabitant of the state they represent. Each representative serves a two-year term and represents the people of a specific congressional district. The number of representatives per state is proportional to the population, with each state having at least one representative.
The House of Representatives has several exclusive powers, including initiating all revenue bills, impeaching federal officers, and electing the president if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the Electoral College. The House also plays a crucial role in the legislative process, as all legislative power in the government is vested in Congress. This means that Congress is the only body that can make new laws or change existing ones.
The House has a presiding officer, known as the Speaker of the House, who is elected by the Representatives and is third in line to the presidency. The Speaker acts as the leader of the House and combines several institutional and administrative roles. The House also has majority and minority leaders who represent their respective parties on the House floor.
In addition to the 435 voting members, there are currently six non-voting delegates representing the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and four other U.S. territories. These delegates possess the same powers as other members of the House, except that they cannot vote when the House is meeting as the House of Representatives.
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Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution enabled the direct election of senators by the public. Before the amendment was passed in 1913 (or 1914, according to another source), senators were chosen by state legislators or legislatures.
The first proposal to amend the Constitution to elect senators by popular vote was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1826. However, the idea did not gain considerable support until the late 19th century when several problems related to Senate elections became evident. These included deadlocks within legislatures resulting in long-lasting Senate vacancies, and the influencing of legislative selection by corrupt political organisations and special interest groups.
During the 1890s, the House of Representatives passed several resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment for the direct election of senators. However, the Senate refused to vote on these resolutions. In response, many states began sending Congress applications for conventions, as outlined in Article V of the Constitution. As the number of applications neared the two-thirds bar, Congress was forced to act. In 1911, the House of Representatives passed House Joint Resolution 39 proposing a constitutional amendment for the direct election of senators. The Seventeenth Amendment was officially certified and added to the Constitution in 1913, after popular support for its passage surged during the Progressive Era.
The passage of the Seventeenth Amendment helped to democratise the United States Senate and tied the legislative branch closer to the people. However, it also undermined the links between the state and the federal systems.
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Presidential elections in South America
The conceptual origins of direct presidential elections can be traced back to the US Constitution of 1787, which established the Electoral College system for electing the president. In the 1980s and 1990s, institutional and constitutional changes led to direct elections of presidents in several South American countries. These changes centralised power in the presidential office, often blurring the separation of powers and granting the president significant influence over the legislature and cabinet.
South America has a diverse range of political systems, with both parliamentary and presidential forms of government. Here is a closer look at some recent presidential elections in South American countries:
Venezuela
Venezuela held presidential elections in 2024 after a decade of increasingly authoritarian rule. The country's National Electoral Commission (CNE) declared Nicolás Maduro as the winner with 51.2% of the vote, while most international observers, including the US Department of State, disputed this result, claiming it did not meet international standards.
Uruguay
Yamandú Orsi won Uruguay's 2024 presidential runoff election with 49.77% of the vote, defeating Álvaro Delgado, who received 45.94%.
Brazil
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, is the current president of Brazil. He was elected on October 2, 2022, and took office on January 1, 2023.
Bolivia
Luis Arce was elected as the president of Bolivia on October 18, 2020. The next presidential election is expected to take place in August 2025.
Argentina
Javier Milei is the current president of Argentina, elected on October 22, 2023. The next presidential election is projected to occur in October or November 2027.
Haiti
Haiti has experienced political instability, with no functioning legislature since January 2020 and no remaining elected officials. A transitional council was formed, and a nine-person council was established to name a new prime minister and cabinet until February 7, 2026.
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The European Parliament
The direct election of the European Parliament is an interesting example of how the concept of direct democracy has been implemented in a supranational context. Direct election is a system of choosing political officeholders where voters directly cast ballots for the persons or political party they want to see elected. In the case of the European Parliament, this means that citizens of the European Union member states cast their votes for representatives to sit in the European Parliament, which is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union.
The direct election of the European Parliament is also significant because it represents a shift towards more democratic decision-making at the European level. Before the direct elections were held in 1979, the members of the European Parliament were appointed by the governments of the member states, which meant that the Parliament had less legitimacy and was seen as more of an advisory body. The move towards direct elections was driven by a desire to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the European Union and to involve citizens more directly in the European decision-making process.
The process of directly electing the European Parliament has also contributed to the development of a more robust European political sphere. Political parties at the European level have emerged, and these parties put forward candidates for election to the European Parliament. These parties often have distinct policy platforms and visions for the future of Europe, and they play a crucial role in shaping public debate and engaging citizens in discussions about European affairs.
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The President of France
The procedure for electing the President of France has evolved over time. During the Second Republic (1848-1851), the President was elected by direct popular vote. In the Third Republic (1870-1940), the President was elected by an absolute majority of votes by the two houses of the Parliament assembled at the National Assembly. The Fourth Republic (1946-1958) saw the President elected by the Congress of the French Parliament, a joint meeting of both houses.
The Fifth Republic, established in 1958, witnessed a significant change in the election procedure. Initially, the President was elected by an electoral college of 80,000 officials, including all elected representatives from local councillors to senators. However, a constitutional reform in 1962, led by President Charles de Gaulle, introduced direct universal suffrage for presidential elections. This reform was further reinforced by a referendum in 2000, which reduced the presidential term from seven to five years.
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Frequently asked questions
According to the original US Constitution, the only individuals directly elected by the people were Members of the House of Representatives. Senators were appointed by state legislatures, while the President and Vice President were elected through the Electoral College.
The Electoral College is a method of electing a president in which each state appoints a number of electors, equal to its Congressional representation, who then vote for the president.
The Electoral College was created as a compromise between electing the president by a vote in Congress and by popular vote. This system was intended to prevent direct democracy and protect against the influence of special interests.
Yes. In the US, the president is not necessarily the candidate who wins the popular vote. The Electoral College has the power to override the popular vote and choose a different candidate.
Yes, direct elections can also be held using the plurality system or the two-round system for single-winner elections, and proportional representation for the election of a legislature or executive.
