US Democracy is a representative democracy, meaning that the people choose their government officials. These officials represent the citizens’ ideas and concerns in government. This is different from a direct democracy, where citizens vote directly on every issue.

• There are many issues related to US Democracy that Congress is looking to address with legislation. In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues and potential solutions, party positions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant committees, chairs, & caucuses; departments & agencies; and the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• The US Democracy category has related posts and three posts on issues of particular focus: Voting Rights, Money in Politics, and Partisan Polarization..

To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

Money in politics refers to the influence of financial contributions on political campaigns, elections, and policy decisions. This topic is highly debated and controversial due to concerns about fairness, transparency, and the potential for corruption.

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

The Money in Politics category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

Partisan polarization is a term used to describe the increasing ideological divide between political parties, particularly the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States. It refers to the growing animosity and lack of cooperation between members of opposing parties, leading to a more adversarial and less productive political environment.

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues/challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

ThePartisan Polarization category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

Voting rights in the United States have undergone significant changes throughout its history, with a focus on ensuring equal access to the ballot box for all citizens. While significant progress has been made, challenges and ongoing debates persist.

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

The Voting Rights category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States. It is equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.

The department is headed by the U.S. Attorney General, who is nominated by the president and confirmed by the US Senate and is a member of the Cabinet. The current attorney general is Merrick Garland, who was sworn in March 11, 2021.

Mission:  to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, as well as review pending legislation.

House counterpart: Committee on the Judiciary

Democratic Members (Minority):
Dick Durbin, Illinois – Ranking Member
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota
Chris Coons, Delaware
Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut
Mazie Hirono, Hawaii
Cory Booker, New Jersey
Alex Padilla, California
Peter Welch, Vermont
Adam Schiff, California

Republican Members (Majority):
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina,
John Cornyn, Texas
Mike Lee, Utah
Ted Cruz, Texas
Josh Hawley, Missouri
Thom Tillis, North Carolina
John Kennedy, Louisiana
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
Eric Schmitt, Missouri
Katie Britt, Alabama
Mike Crapo, Idaho

Featured Video: 
Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on responding to ransomware attacks — 7/27/2021

Oversee the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement entities. The Judiciary Committee is also the committee responsible for impeachments of federal officials.

Senate counterpart:  Committee on the Judiciary

Subcommittees:

• Administrative State, Regulatory Reform and Antitrust
• The Constitution and Limited Government
• Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet
• Crime and Federal Government Surveillance
• Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement
• Responsiveness and Accountability to Oversight

Chair: Jim Jordan, Ohio
Ranking Member: Jerry Nadler, New York

Majority Staff Director: Christopher Hixon
Minority Chief of Staff: Amy Rutkin
Meeting Location: 2138 Rayburn House Building, Washington, DC  20515; Phone: (202) 225-6906

Featured Video: 
Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: Potential Legislative Reforms – August 16, 2021
Web Links

Historian Sean Wilentz argues that from the days of George Washington’s farewell address, to Senator Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic national convention in 2004, politicians have called upon Americans to move beyond parties.

Wilentz calls this the post-partisan style, and argues that “the antiparty current is by definition antidemocratic, as political parties have been the only reliable electoral vehicles for advancing the ideas and interests of ordinary voters”. However, nonpartisan elections are quite common at the local level, primarily in an effort to keep national issues from being mixed up with local issues.

Today, nonpartisan elections are generally held for municipal and county offices, especially school board, and are also common in the election of judges. The unicameral Legislature of Nebraska is the only state legislature that is entirely officially nonpartisan; additionally, the bicameral Fono of American Samoa is the only territorial legislature that is officially nonpartisan.

Although elections may be officially nonpartisan, in some elections (usually involving larger cities or counties, as well as the Nebraska unicameral) the party affiliations of candidates are generally known, most commonly by the groups endorsing a particular candidate (e.g., a candidate endorsed by a labor union would be generally affiliated with the Democratic Party, while a candidate endorsed by a business coalition would be generally affiliated with the Republican Party).

The term “ranked voting” refers to any voting system in which voters rank their candidates (or option) in a sequence of first or second (or third, etc) on their respective ballots. Ranked voting systems differ on the basis of how the ballots are tabulated.

The many electoral systems that use ranked voting use one of the many available counting methods to select the winning candidate or candidates. There is also variation among ranked voting electoral systems in that in some ranked voting systems, officials require voters to rank a set number of candidates, sometimes all of them; in others, citizens may rank as many candidates as they see fit.

Ranked voting is used in national elections in Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom (Scottish and Welsh Parliaments), the US States of Maine and Alaska. It is also used in Malta, Slovenia, and Nauru. It is also used for some local elections in New Zealand, and some locations in the United States.