Democracy means, literally, government by the people. A system of government is called 'democratic' if the people have a direct say in how they are governed. Representative democracy is a particular type of democracy in which the people authorize others to govern on their behalf, through a voting process of some kind.
Elections are crucial in a system of representative democracy.
Voting has been a subject of controversy throughout our country's history. During the colonial period and the early years of our nation, voting was generally restricted to white men who owned property. While the majority of white males were qualified to vote, other people such as women, blacks, American Indians and members of certain religious groups were not allowed to vote. At the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, the Framers of the Constitution could not agree on who should be given the right to vote. As a result, the Constitution only states that members of the House of Representatives were to be elected by the people of each state who, under state law were eligible to vote for the lower house of their state legislature.