55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
Answer:
• Vote
• Join a political party
• Help with a campaign
• Join a civic group
• Join a community group
• Give an elected official your
opinion on an issue
• Call Senators and
Representatives
• Publicly support or oppose an
issue or policy
• Run for office
• Write to a newspaper
Explanation:
The United States has a representative democracy, which means that citizens
vote for people who will represent them in the government, making laws and
decisions that reflect (or are the same as) what the citizens want. If Americans do
not participate in their democracy, then the laws won’t reflect what they want. That is
why civic involvement (or participation in government) is extremely important in the
United States.
The most basic (or easiest and simplest) type of civic involvement is to vote, but
some people are much more politically active (or involved in government and
politics). Many people choose to join a political party, which is a group of people
who have similar beliefs about what the government should do and want to get
power for their group in the government. Some of them help with campaigns (or the
things people do to try to be elected to a government job) for their political party’s
candidates (or the people who are trying to be elected). Sometimes they help by
calling undecided voters (or people who haven’t yet decided whom they will vote
for) or by visiting them in their homes.
Other people are more politically active for issues than for candidates. They might
join a community group that tries to show people how important an issue is. They
also call Senators and Representatives to try to get them to vote a certain way on
important issues. Sometimes these people will talk to their friends and family about
the issues and some of them even write letters to the editor, which is the part of
the newspaper where people can write about their strong beliefs.
The people who have the highest level of civic involvement try to run for office (or
try to get elected to a political position or job). Sometimes people begin locally, at
first running for office in their neighborhood or city, but then seeking office (or trying
to get elected) at the state or national level. Each and every American can choose
how much civil involvement he or she wants to have.