Final answer:
A representative democracy is a system in which citizens elect officials to make policy decisions and laws on their behalf, and it is the form of government used by the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
A representative democracy is a body of elected representatives which rules the country on behalf of the people. In such a system, citizens elect individuals to represent their interests within a legislature. This form of government is employed by the United States, a constitution-based federal republic, where the citizens elect representatives at local and state levels, as well as a president through the votes of the Electoral College.
The government of the United States can best be described as a republic or representative democracy, where citizens do not govern directly but through their chosen officials. These representatives are responsible for making decisions and passing laws on behalf of all people, which embodies the principle of majority rule while protecting minority rights to prevent the tyranny of the majority. The U.S. government is structured with checks and balances among its three branches, namely the executive, judicial, and legislative, to ensure the fair exercise of power.
In contrast to a pure democracy, where citizens would vote on all legislation directly, a representative democracy is more practical especially in larger nations like the United States. The representative system is designed to promote policies that favor the citizens' interests through a social contract, in which individuals collectively give up some freedoms in return for protection and organization provided by the state.