The perks and peculiarities of U.S. elections: Perspectives from across the Pond

Admittedly, I know nothing about U.S. politics. I only know the buzzwords — the House, the Senate, the Electoral College and, of course, democracy — but not what they do or mean. The U.S., as we all know, is a democracy (something they don’t let us forget). But what does that really mean? What does this word, which we hear in almost every history class and political science lecture — a word so oversaturated that we may actually take it for granted — actually entail? 

Coming from the United Kingdom as a British-American dual citizen, I didn’t think democracy or elections here would be much different. Democracy is democracy, right? Wrong. 

I realized this when clicking on “See What’s On Your Ballot” on vote.org. Suddenly, lists of propositions that I could vote for unfurled before me: Proposition 3 — “Constitutional Right to Marriage,” Proposition 4 — “Authorizes Bonds for Safe Drinking Water.”

“We get a say in this?” I thought to myself. “The U.S. is SO democratic!” I was stunned. After voting in the U.K. general election in May, where we only vote for our member of Parliament, I felt like a kid in a candy store. 

But if we dig beneath the surface, inevitably, flaws in American democracy arise. After all, the ballot I saw was California-specific. 

I spoke with Didi Kuo, center fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, who said “the United States is a very imperfect democracy” due to its deep polarization and the influence of the wealthy. This, combined with the fact that many people, such as felons, have their voting rights stripped, makes it “very undemocratic” in her eyes. I was surprised by Kuo’s frankness and acknowledgment of the U.S. system’s flaws, as the common narrative is often that America has an ideal democracy, and this is rarely questioned. 

StanfordVotes co-chair Dylan Vergara ’26 said “the United States is by far one of the most conflicting democracies in the world.” Much of this is due to federalism and decentralization, which make the autonomy of states and localities important throughout our elections. The U.S. is unlike the U.K. and many advanced democracies in that it does not have a national election board — elections are unique to where you live. 

This invariably produces a lack of uniformity, which is evident in states’ differing ballots. In California, one can vote for propositions ranging from those on the minimum wage (Proposition 32, which would raise the minimum wage to $17 immediately) to Proposition 35, which deals with funding for Medi-Cal healthcare. At the same time, ballots in Michigan have no propositions, but voters can choose commissioners for 18 districts and vote for the University of Michigan Regent and County Sheriff. Kuo said this abundance of choice is a “burden” on voters. Speaking with her shifted my perspective — I always thought choice was a good thing (power to the people, right?) but there is such a thing as too much choice. Casting an informed vote for these propositions requires a lot of research and understanding, which takes time and effort.

“The point of representative democracy is to delegate that knowledge [of propositions and state laws] to specialists who represent you,” Kuo said. Ballot initiatives thus turn voters into “mini legislators.” Do they therefore defeat the point of democracy? Do they put too much pressure on ordinary citizens? Or are they the highest form of democracy? After all, anyone can put forward a ballot initiative — if it receives enough signatures, it gets on the ballot. Thus, in true democratic fashion, the people are those proposing and passing the policies. 

Despite these questions and imperfections, we still live in a democracy. Kuo said this is “absolutely” something we take for granted.

“The fact that we have the democracy we have is because a lot of people put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into forcing the issue of democracy and claiming those rights,” she said. I agree. There are many occasions now where I’ve tried to convince my friends to vote using this very argument — “Think of people in North Korea!” “Think of people in repressed autocracies who would kill to be in your position, to have a say in their political system.” But no luck.

You may think I’m being dramatic — but realize just how much choice and power we have. This election is about more than just Vice President Kamala Harris vs. former President Donald Trump. A lot of you will get a say in your state’s social and economic policies. So, I encourage you to see what’s on your ballot and embrace — even if it’s a word you’re sick of by now — democracy.

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