Final answer:
In the United States, democracy is representative in nature, where citizens elect officials to govern on their behalf and authority is based on the will of the people.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the United States today, democracy is defined as a belief in government in which authority is based on the will of the people, who exert influence over institutions, leaders, and policies. This is reflected in the nature of the representative democracy, a system where authority is derived through elections in which citizens choose their representatives, such as members of Congress and the President. The essential ideology is that the government functions for the people and by the people, meaning that decisions and laws are made by elected officials who represent the populace. The representative nature of the United States democracy means it also functions as a republic, where the elected officials are expected to protect the rights of the minority against the potential 'tyranny of the majority' and operate within a framework that checks and balances the power of the various branches of government.