14. Elections

Democracy, the will of the people, is the essence of modern politics. But not all of a state’s citizens have the same opinions, and the opinions and views of people change over time. One defining feature of a true democracy, then, is the ability to change the government from time to time if people are not happy with the current system. Regular elections allow the state’s adult citizens to vote, and the majority opinion decides who will form the next government. Voters who lose in an election usually accept this result as fair and legitimate, because it is a majority choice and they have the option to change the government at the next election.

Most of the world’s states have regular, scheduled elections to reassure citizens that the political system is orderly and predictable. If elections are too infrequent, people feel abandoned by the system. If elections happen too often, people lose faith in the government’s ability to do anything. Therefore, elections usually take place every few years – this gives citizens the reassurance of predictable, scheduled politics, and gives the new government time to pass laws and make changes (the timetable for national elections is usually written in a state’s constitution). In Hegemony, voting on policies (usually) takes place at the end of each round. This represents a legislature (Parliament, Congress, Assembly) voting on proposed legislation. Whichever party wins the election then has time to implement changes. If citizens are unhappy with the government they elect, they can replace it at the next election.

Referendums (also called “plebiscites”) are separate from elections, and are one-off national votes on a very specific political issue, where voters usually choose between a simple Yes or No. Some countries (e.g., Switzerland) consider referendums to be a normal part of their political culture. Other countries (e.g., the UK) are reluctant to hold referendums as they are considered too divisive. Many countries (e.g., the USA) never hold national referendums. Referendums have the advantage of giving every citizen a voice on a political issue without having to rely on elected politicians to make the decision for them, but they have the disadvantage of oversimplifying complex issues and creating serious divi- sions in society.