Democracy: ‘Government of the people, by the people, for the people’

During election times, and indeed at any time, understanding and exercising democratic values and practices are crucial for the well-being, progress, stability, and harmonious coexistence of society. Democracy, the political system in which the people elect their rulers and exercise power through them based on institutions and laws founded on reason, liberty, equality, the common good, and human rights, is the best form of government available as it allows for the greatest expression and fulfillment of the popular will of the majority while protecting minority rights and establishing necessary checks and balances to achieve consensus and avoid tyranny.

The United States is built on the idea of democracy, and the struggles to establish, preserve, and expand the validity of democratic ideals are among the most decisive and valuable aspects of national history.

Democracy is based on the core values of freedom and equality, enabling civility, fraternity, and harmonious coexistence. The ability that citizens have to vote to elect, confirm, or change their leaders empowers communities, creates certainty about the rule of law, individual and collective rights, and institutions, and generates confidence in the present and hope for the future. Therefore, exercise and adherence to voting are crucial for individual and collective well-being, and for the strength and unity of the nation.

Democracy allows, following what President Abraham Lincoln said in his famous ‘Gettysburg Address’ in 1863, for the existence and persistence of a “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” with voting being its fundamental pillar. Republican institutions emanate from free voting and the peaceful transition of governments in adherence to the popular will and are obligated to preserve freedoms and the continuity of democracy. “Democracy is the destiny of humanity; freedom, its indestructible arm,” said Benito Juárez, president of Mexico, a few years after Lincoln’s speech.

Informing about democracy and free voting, educating about its values and processes, promoting its exercise, defending its results, and preserving its institutions are tasks of paramount importance.

Certainly, the current model is perfectible, and it is key for citizens to participate widely, cast their vote, and exercise and defend their fundamental rights.

That is the motivation for these ’40 Keys to Democracy in the United States’, published in the context of the November 5, 2024 general election.

The ‘40 Keys to Democracy in the United States’ offers definitions, context, and explanations to understand the political system, the electoral processes, and the exercise of democracy in the United States based on the Constitution and applicable law.

The ‘40 Keys to Democracy in the United States’ are tools for community empowerment, the exercise of democracy, and civic education. All based on official and reliable sources.

By existing in both Spanish and English versions, this work helps close language gaps that limit knowledge in the subject and promote diversity, inclusion, and equity—concepts closely linked to democracy.

Use this material we offer you as a tool for civic power, share it with your family, friends, and acquaintances, and make the best possible use of its content. You can also consult it in Spanish at www.laraza.com/tema/40-claves-de-la-democracia.

If you are a citizen, we encourage you to vote freely for the options of your preference and to participate in the decision making process. If you are not a citizen you cannot vote, but we invite you to promote democracy and voting.

By doing so, society gains in civility, the community is empowered, and perspectives for the well-being of all are opened up. To a large extent, your vote defines your future, and collectively, voters define the future of everyone.

La Raza, the top Spanish-language publication in Chicago with 54 years serving the Hispanic community with high-quality, fair and trustable journalism, publishes these ‘40 Keys to Democracy’ to facilitate and illuminate your knowledge, appreciation, and experience of voting and democracy in the United States.

Vote, promote, and defend democracy!