World Scene: Democracy Around the World

News from the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC
January 13, 2006

What?s inside?
YOU LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY ? U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE & DEMOCRACY ? INSIDE UKRAINE

YOU LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY
Pizza or Nachos? Sneakers or shoes? CDs or MP3s? Call or text message?

In your life, you have choices. Having choices is one of the benefits of living in a democracy like the United States. In fact, the United States is the world?s oldest modern democracy. Voting is probably the most important way a person can participate in a democracy. We have been choosing our leaders for more than 200 years!

The system of democracy is not unique to the United States. The freedom to choose leaders is an important part of human rights and democracy around the world. It is so important, that the U.S. Government has made supporting human rights and democracy a major part of our relationships with other countries. We support other countries in their goals to achieve these rights for their citizens. The Department of State works directly with a country or as a part of a group to help countries have free and fair elections. Sometimes the State Department also works with the United Nations and other independent organizations to help with the voting process. By supporting democracies around the world, the United States helps make the world safer and more prosperous. We are all better off when we have the freedom to make our own choices, to work for a better life, and to live without fear.

HOW DOES THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE SUPPORT DEMOCRACY?

The U.S. Department of State:

• Works together with many countries and with the United Nations to help people in other countries vote, to have better judges and police, or to ensure that people are not treated badly because they belong to a certain racial or religious group.
• Supports programs that train election officials in procedures to ensure free and fair elections.
• Works with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs play an important role in democracy by encouraging people to vote, guiding people to the polls, and monitoring elections.

Read more about the State Department and democracy.

Global Glossary

Ballot: Any kind of secret voting by piece of paper or voting machine. The act, process, or method of voting. A list of candidates running for office in an election.

Campaign: A series of connected activities designed to communicate a candidate?s message and to achieve a particular result, such as an "election campaign."

Candidate: A person who seeks or is nominated for a political office.

Democracy: A government by the people where decisions are made by a majority of voters through elected representatives.

Election: The process of voting to choose a person for public office.

Human Rights: The basic rights of all people that include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO): A group that provides services or promotes a public policy, such as protecting the environment, providing health care for children, or promoting good voting practices.

Polls: The places where votes are cast or recorded.

U.S. Department of State: The federal government department responsible for advising the President on foreign policy, implementing foreign policy, and conducting relations with other nations.

Vote: A formal expression of opinion or will or the general opinion expressed by voters.

Where would you go if  you were the Secretary of State?
Why would you go there?
Can you find those places on a map?

INSIDE UKRAINE
Eleonora, a high school exchange student from Ukraine, was invited by the State Department to study in the United States for one year. She writes the following about elections in her country:

Hello! My name is Eleonora and I am from Ukraine. Ukraine is a young independent country, which is situated in eastern Europe. It is the biggest country in Europe and became independent in 1991. Before 1991 it had been part of the USSR. Now I live in the democratic country of Ukraine.

The dictionary defines democracy as "government by the people, directly or through elected representatives." A lot of countries in the world are democratic ones, but they are a little bit different. How is it possible? I will try to explain it by describing a day of elections in Ukraine.

Elections for the President in Ukraine are held on the last Sunday of October. Our presidential term is five years. Polling places open at eight o'clock in the morning and close at eight o'clock in the evening. People who are eighteen years old or older are allowed to vote. The elections take place at all schools in the towns, cities, or villages. If there are no schools in the district, people vote in the courthouses or government centers. A lot of senior people are able to vote at home, but they have to phone the schools or courthouses in their district, and people will be sent to their houses to help them vote. Volunteers who work at schools during the elections are usually teachers. They make lists of people who are allowed to vote and check their passports. Other forms of identification, such as a driver's license are prohibited.

Elections are usually held in an auditorium. There are polling booths, which are usually wooden and look like fitting rooms. The booths do not have doors, but rather blue curtains for privacy. There is a table in each booth. When a person comes to vote, he or she has to go to the teachers, who sit near the tables and show their Ukrainian passport to prove that they are eighteen years old. Voters have to be alone in the booth, but if there is a member of his or her family, he or she is allowed to vote with the person in one booth. People have to use pens to mark the candidate they want to be the President. After the person casts their vote, he puts his ballot into a ballot box made of clear plastic.

Seniors who vote at home follow nearly the same process of casting their vote, but they do not have polling booths. After they get their ballots, all other people have to leave the room, and after certain amount of time, the volunteer returns with the plastic box for the completed ballot.

Fast Facts About Ukraine

Capital:       Kiev
Size:            230,000 square miles (about two times the size of Arizona)
Population:  47 million
Languages:  Ukrainian (official), Russian, others.
Religions:     Ukrainian Orthodoxy, Ukrainian Greek Catholicism, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Islam, others.
Voting Age:  18 years or older

• Ukraine became an independent nation in 1991.
• Ukrainians elect a president and the 450 members of the Ukrainian legislature, known as the Supreme Rada.
• Since Ukrainian independence, the United States has provided assistance to help them build a free and democratic country. The U.S. has helped to train election workers, lawyers and judges; supported programs to teach the Ukrainian people about voting and about their civil rights; and aided local organizations assisting disabled people vote on election day.
• When Ukrainians felt that the elections held in October and November 2004 were not fair, they protested for weeks and demanded another election. This was called the "Orange Revolution." Because of their demands, free and fair elections were held in December 2004, and a new president was inaugurated in January 2005.

Secretary Rice visited Ukraine in December 2005 to underscore U.S. support for continued political and economic reform one year after the "Orange Revolution." At left, a student dressed in traditional Ukrainian Cossack costume presents Secretary Rice with flowers following her town hall meeting.

See more photos and read more about her trip to Ukraine.