Which term describes a system of government in which citizens elect those who rule them?

• A. Republic
• B. Colonial Government
• C. Democracy
• D. Self-Government

Answer: (C)

In this idea, the power to govern comes from the people who choose their leaders. When citizens vote, they select the individuals who will make laws and run the government on their behalf, then hold them accountable in future elections. That direct link between the people and those who rule them is what democracy is all about. A colonial government describes rule by a distant power, not the people living there; self-government means a community governs itself, not necessarily through a national system of elected representatives; a republic involves elected leaders and no monarch as well, but the description given most clearly matches democracy because it emphasizes people voting to choose their rulers.