Is the United States a true democracy? Discuss!

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That is a question that has doubtless appeared as an exam or essay question many times in the past - but recent events, such as in Georgia, might make many people take a different line in their answers. I have taken a strong interest in electoral politics for many years. Apart from being a student of history - mainly British, but also including that of other countries including the United States - I have regularly counted votes after elections and have, in the past, campaigned for a political party by knocking on doors and asking people to support a particular candidate. My experience of the UK electoral system has been based entirely on the premise that every citizen above the age of 18 has the right to vote, and everything is done to ensure that the process of voting is made as easy and straightforward as possible. There are very few circumstances under which someone is denied the right to vote. Everyone is expected to register in order to appear on the electoral roll for their local area, and being removed from the roll is a very rare occurrence. When I was knocking on doors, I always encouraged people to exercise their right to vote, and I also made it clear that it was important that they did so, even if they had no intention of voting for candidate I was supporting. That, to me, is the essence of democracy - a high turnout means that the people we elect to office have got there because a large proportion of the residents they represent have made a conscious choice in the matter. So when I read about efforts in parts of the United States to do everything possible to deny certain people the right to vote, and to make it as awkward and uncomfortable as possible for people to exercise that right, I really do wonder if that country is a democracy at all!