Democracy is a system of government that places political power in the hands of the people. While democracy can come in many different forms, almost every democratic system ever concieved involves voting in elections. The word itself comes from the Greek roots demos, meaning "the people", and kratos, meaning "rule". Therefore, democracy essentially means "rule by the people".

There are two main types of democracy: direct and representative. In a direct democracy, citizens vote directly on laws and policies, while in a representative democracy, the people elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf. A representative democracy is also called a republic. The United Friends of America is a representative democracy, as its citizens vote on leaders rather than directly on laws. However, Americonian citizens may occasionally be given a referendum to vote on, which is an example of direct democracy.

Many different theories of democracy have been developed, including consensus democracy, constitutional democracy, Jeffersonian democracy, people's democracy, market democracy, liberal democracy, illiberal democracy, parliamentary democracy, guided democracy, social democracy, economic democracy, and republican democracy. The United Friends of America does not follow any particular form of democracy, but incorporates ideas from several different ones. Because the UFA is such a young nation, its democratic system is subject to substantial change and improvement.

Below are some videos and links regarding democracy. Note that inclusion of a particular resource does not imply endorsement of the creator by the UFA Government.

Democracy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Democracy Sourcebook

Democracy - United Nations 

Democracy Now!