Changes

[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Electionday.jpg|right|frame]]

[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Electionday.jpg|right|frame]]

*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Century 13th century]

*Date: [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Century 13th century]

==Definitions==

==Definitions==

*1 a : an [[act]] or [[process]] of electing <the election of a new governor>  

*1 a : an [[act]] or [[process]] of electing <the election of a new governor>  

==Description==

==Description==

An '''election''' is a [[formal]] [[decision]]-making [[process]] by which a [[population]] chooses an [[individual]] to hold [[public]] office.  Elections have been the usual [[mechanism]] by which modern [[representative]] [[democracy]] operates since the 17th century.  Elections may fill offices in the [[http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislature legislature], sometimes in the [[executive]] and [[http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary judiciary], and for regional and local [[government]]. This [[process]] is also used in many other [[private]] and [[business]]  [[organizations]], from clubs to voluntary [[associations]] and corporations.

An '''election''' is a [[formal]] [[decision]]-making [[process]] by which a [[population]] chooses an [[individual]] to hold [[public]] office.  Elections have been the usual [[mechanism]] by which modern [[representative]] [[democracy]] operates since the 17th century.  Elections may fill offices in the [[https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislature legislature], sometimes in the [[executive]] and [[https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary judiciary], and for regional and local [[government]]. This [[process]] is also used in many other [[private]] and [[business]]  [[organizations]], from clubs to voluntary [[associations]] and corporations.

The [[universal]] use of elections as a [[tool]] for selecting representatives in modern democracies is in [[contrast]] with the practice in the democratic [[archetype]], [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Athens ancient Athens]. Elections were considered an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy oligarchic] [[institution]] and most [[political]] offices were filled using [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition sortition], also known as allotment, by which officeholders were chosen by lot.

The [[universal]] use of elections as a [[tool]] for selecting representatives in modern democracies is in [[contrast]] with the practice in the democratic [[archetype]], [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Athens ancient Athens]. Elections were considered an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy oligarchic] [[institution]] and most [[political]] offices were filled using [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition sortition], also known as allotment, by which officeholders were chosen by lot.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_reform Electoral reform] describes the [[process]] of introducing fair electoral systems where they are not in place, or improving the [[fairness]] or [[effectiveness]] of existing systems. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psephology Psephology] is the [[study]] of results and other [[statistics]] relating to elections (especially with a view to [[predicting]] [[future]] results).

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_reform Electoral reform] describes the [[process]] of introducing fair electoral systems where they are not in place, or improving the [[fairness]] or [[effectiveness]] of existing systems. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psephology Psephology] is the [[study]] of results and other [[statistics]] relating to elections (especially with a view to [[predicting]] [[future]] results).

To elect means "to choose or make a [[decision]]", and so sometimes other [[forms]] of ballot such as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum referendum] are referred to as elections, especially in the United States.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election]

To elect means "to choose or make a [[decision]]", and so sometimes other [[forms]] of ballot such as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum referendum] are referred to as elections, especially in the United States.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election]

[[Category: Political Science]]

[[Category: Political Science]]