It is the representative model that will be the focus of this article. However, the voters that comprise the committee are not themselves elected into office, but appointed by prior leaders. This arrangement is often confused with the communist method in places such as China and the old Soviet Union. It is also employed with great success in the Vatican City. True communism has no leaders.
Every decision is made by every person within the system.
This is why the only true communists are wandering around looking for someone to tell them what to do, and why there are no large-scale, functioning communist societies today. There is no electoral process involved. On rare occasions, the leader is chosen by a magic sword stuck in a large rock. There are very few heirarchies left, but there are many virtual heirarchies, such as the Kennedys. The leader in this sort of society is whoever is the biggest and strongest.