Our political leaders are constantly calling our government a democracy leading people to believe that we are a democracy while in fact we are a democratic republic or a republic with a strong democratic tradition. It is important that our leaders stop misleading the public in letting them think that the United States is a democracy when it is not.
A democracy is a government where everyone in the general populous votes on everything.
A republic is a form of government where representatives of the people make decisions.
A democratic-republic is a government where elected representatives make decisions on behalf of the people.