The best way for citizens to participate in their government is by voting. Voting can take many forms. Citizens can vote directly for their leader and their lawmakers, or citizens can vote for their lawmakers and then give the lawmakers the power to appoint the leader. Both ways are considered democratic. The two types of democracy that we will study in the 6th grade are PARLIMENTARY and PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRACIES

In a Democracy:

• A president usually achieves power by being elected. A prime minister is usually appointed.

For example in Great Britain, the position of prime minister is appointed by the parliament.

• Parliamentary appointment of the prime minister will be made by the party with the most votes. Citizens vote for the party that they think will make the best choice for prime minister.

Here is a sample ballot from the U.S. You can see that the voters have the opportunity to vote for their leader (President) and their lawmakers (Congress-House of Representatives and Senate-aka Congress) directly. When people get to vote for their leaders directly, this

type of Government is known as a Presidential Democracy.

Here is a sample Ballot from UK. You can see that the Leader (Prime Minister ) is not on the ballot. The people pick their Law Makers (House of Commons). The Party that wins the most votes in the House of Commons then appoints the Prime Minister. This type of leadership is known as a Parliamentary Democracy.

Note: In the UK Parliament consists of 2 Houses. The House of Commons who are elected by the people. The other ½ of Parliament is called the House of Lords, and is usually made up of experts who scrutinize the decisions of the House of Commons. Members in the House of Lords are usually appointed by the Queen.

• It is important to note that the UK is steeped in tradition and that the Queen is still a big part of their culture. She is considered the Head of State, while the Prime Minister is considered the Head of Government.

• Also unlike the office of President in the United States, the executive powers of the Prime Minister in the UK fall under the legislative branch. In the US, the executive branch and the legislative branch are 2 separate entities.