4. The United States is a representative democracy. This means that our government is elected by citizens. Here, citizens vote for their government officials. These officials represent the citizens' ideas and concerns in government.
5. We can make members of the U.S. House of Representatives, who now face election every two years, instead stand for election every four years at the same time the president is elected. This idea is designed to temper the excesses of divided government -- a president of one party and a Congress of the other party -- and to prevent congressmen from insulating themselves from the currents of national voter opinion.
