TY - BOOK TI - USA elections in brief AV - JK 1967 .Un31 2011 PY - 2011///] CY - [Washington, D.C.] PB - Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State KW - Elections KW - United States. KW - sears N2 - The United States has been a representative democracy since the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, although the electoral tradition began during the Colonial era and had its roots in British history. This Web site is an online companion to a government published book that discusses the nature of the modern American electoral process, and how it works at the federal, state, and local levels ER -