Representative & Direct Democracy (Edexcel A Level Politics): Revision Note

Representative democracy

• Representative democracy is a system where citizens elect people or political parties to make decisions and govern on their behalf, rather than participating directly in law-making

  • E.g. In the 2024 General Election, 29 million voters elected 650 MPs, giving the Labour Party a majority with 411 seats

• Democracy comes from the Greek words ‘demos’ and ‘kratos’ and can be literally translated as ‘rule of the people’

Features of representative democracy

1. Accountability

• Representatives must justify their decisions and actions to voters at election time

  • If voters are unhappy with performance, they can remove the representative or the governing party

• This creates a continuous incentive for MPs and governments to act in the public interest

  • E.g. In the 2010 General Election, Labour lost power after voter dissatisfaction with issues such as the financial crisis and leadership

2. Frequency

• Elections occur on a predictable timetable, giving stability and regular opportunities for democratic input

• Fixed terms help ensure fairness by preventing governments from calling elections purely for political advantage

  • E.g. In the UK, General Elections are typically held every 5 years under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act

3. Practicality

• Representative democracy allows complex decisions to be made by people with the time and resources to analyse issues in depth

• It works effectively in large, modern states where direct participation by millions would be unrealistic

• Representatives can consult experts, committees and evidence before making decisions

4. Expertise

• Those elected are expected to bring a range of skills to their role, such as

  • an understanding of the law

  • awareness of social issues and cultural backgrounds

  • strong spoken communication abilities

  • the ability to assess information and draw logical conclusions

  • being able to listen carefully and respond appropriately

  • clear, logical reasoning when solving problems

  • a careful approach with strong attention to detail

Evaluating representative democracy

Direct democracy

• Direct democracy is a system where citizens make political decisions themselves by voting on individual issues rather than electing representatives to decide for them

  • E.g. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, 33.5 million voters chose to leave the EU by 52% to 48%

Features of direct democracy

1. Accountability

• Citizens make the decisions themselves, so responsibility cannot be passed to elected representatives

• Voters must live with the direct outcomes of their choices, increasing the sense of ownership

2. Frequency

• Decisions are made whenever an issue arises rather than waiting for a scheduled election

• This allows a more immediate response to public concerns or emerging issues

3. Practicality

• Effective when dealing with single, clear issues where the public can give a simple Yes/No response

• Direct democracy works best in smaller or more localised settings where participation is easier

  • E.g. Local referendums on neighbourhood planning or council tax rises in some UK areas

4. Expertise

• All citizens can participate regardless of political knowledge, education or experience

• This increases democratic participation but may lead to decisions influenced by emotion or misinformation

Evaluating direct democracy

Is UK democracy healthy?

Yes, it is

• The UK’s democracy can be considered healthy for a range of reasons

  • High turnout in referendums showing public desire to participate, lending legitimacy to decisions

    • Turnout in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum was 85%

    • In 2016 turnout for the Brexit referendum was 72%

  • Growth of the use of e-petitions which have informed Parliamentary action

    • In 2019, the Revoke Article 50 (leaving the EU) petition gained more than 6 million signatures

  • Devolution has allowed for local decision making

    • Scottish universities offer free tuition fees for Scottish students, whilst Mayor of London Sadiq Khan introduced the world’s largest clean air zone in London

  • Increasing voter choice with third parties becoming more popular

    • 43% of voters cast their vote for a party other than Labour or Conservative in the 2024 General Election

  • Rights are well protected through legislation and an independent judiciary

    • E.g. the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010

No, it is not

• However, there are some significant signs that the UK’s democracy is unhealthy

  • In recent years, turnout has been low in elections

    • Just 59.7% of people voted in the 2024 General Election and 34% in the 2025 local elections

  • The House of Lords is unelected but has considerable power

    • E.g. House of Lords objections to the 2024 Rwanda Bill led to considerable delay

  • The introduction of Voter ID laws in 2023 risks disenfranchising voters

    • 4% of people who did not vote in 2024 said it was due to voter ID requirements

    • 1 in every 1200 voters was not issued with a ballot paper due to not having suitable ID documents

  • First Past The Post (FPTP) distorts representation

    • The 2024 election was the most disproportionate ever, with Labour gaining just 33.7% of the vote but 63% of the seats

  • The lack of a codified constitution means that rights can be changed easily

    • E.g. the swift introduction of voter ID laws in 2023

The case for democratic reform

Recent examples of democratic reform

• The Human Rights Act 1998

  • This law codified the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law to better protect individuals' rights

• Constitutional Reform Act 2005

  • This led to the creation of the UK Supreme Court (operational from 2009)

• Equality Act 2010

  • This law prevents discrimination on nine protected characteristics, including gender, race and disability

• Succession to the Crown Act 2013

  • This law ensured that it was the first-born child rather than first-born son was next in line to the throne of the UK

• Recall of MPs Act 2015

  • This law allowed constituents to force a by-election if their MP receives a custodial sentence, is suspended from the House of Commons for 10 or more days or is convicted under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009

• E-petitions

  • From 2015, the House of Commons took responsibility for the e-petitions system

The potential for further reform