Direct election is a term describing a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the person, persons or political party that they desire to see elected. 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.
Examples of directly elected bodies are the European Parliament (since 1979) and the United States Senate (since 1917).
By contrast, in an indirect election, the voters cast elect an assembly which in turn elects the officeholder in question.
Other articles related to "direct election, elections, direct":
... by each of the Member States' national parliaments in 1979, direct election was instituted ... a universally acceptable electoral body, legitimacy of elections, and so on "A body comprising national parliamentarians has the 'stamp of approval' built-in ... This would be a stopgap solution until direct election became possible ...
... Also since 2000, the area of Greater London has had a Greater London Authority headed by a Mayor of London ... This is a separate post to the historic and honorific Lord Mayor of the City of London and may be characterised as a strategic, regional, role rather than as anything analogous to previous local government in England ...
... A direct election republican model is a proposal for Australian constitutional reform ... republicans express support for the direct-election model, support for a parliamentary system of government is usually implied ...
... by an electoral college, which has been elected on the same basis as the Senate Direct election of Parliament's candidates Powers of head of state to be codified Direct election by the people ... Some republicans believe that the success of a direct-election model is a foregone conclusion ...
Famous quotes containing the words election and/or direct:
“The election makes me think of a story of a man who was dying. He had only two minutes to live, so he sent for a clergyman and asked him, “Where is the best place to go to?” He was undecided about it. So the minister told him that each place had its advantages—heaven for climate, and hell for society.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)
“I, who travel most often for my pleasure, do not direct myself so badly. If it looks ugly on the right, I take the left; if I find myself unfit to ride my horse, I stop.... Have I left something unseen behind me? I go back; it is still on my road. I trace no fixed line, either straight or crooked.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)