Direct election
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Direct election is the term for an election to (usually political) office by direct vote of eligible voters rather than by a parliament or electoral college.
In the concrete example of the election of members of a parliament, direct election refers to the election of a single member of parliament (per constituency) as opposed to a list election, in which election lists proposed by the parties, rather than individual persons, are primarily elected. Mandates based on direct election in this sense are called direct mandates. However, the directness of the election is not affected (for example, under German law) even in the case of a list election if the candidates on the lists as well as their order are known before the election or are determined by the voters.
In the early 19th century, many states established parliaments whose representatives were usually elected indirectly. That is, the voting citizen was an original voter. The original voters in their constituency or electoral class elected an electoral man. Only this electoral man or a group of electoral men determined the Member of Parliament. The USA still has such an electoral college system today.
Indirect voting is seen as a kind of security level. An elector must sometimes meet higher requirements, e.g. have a higher minimum age or bear a higher tax burden than the original voters. From a democratic point of view, such a social filter may be open to criticism. The direct election of parliaments is prescribed in Germany in Article 28 (1) for state, district and municipal elections and in Article 38 (1) of the Basic Law (GG) for federal elections. In contrast, the German Federal Chancellor is not elected directly, but by the parliament according to Article 63 para. 1 GG, as is the German Federal President according to Article 54 para. 1, p. 1 GG by the Federal Assembly.
A major change occurred for municipalities in Germany and Austria when most Länder introduced the direct election of the mayor in the 1990s. It means a stronger position of the municipal council, but this can be limited by special municipal ordinances (for example in Hesse). According to the constitutions, direct election serves to streamline the municipal administration and, above all, to bring it closer to the citizens, but it can lead to problems and limited capacity to act on the part of the mayor in the case of unclear majorities (see cohabitation), as often occurs after a run-off election.
