Referendums are as direct as democracy gets

Much of Tuesday's election will be about picking leaders. That's called representative democracy. Voters elect candidates to represent them in various levels of government. These representatives - president, senators, representatives - make decisions on behalf of the people. That's not the only form of democracy being exercised. Referendums on Tuesday's ballot are a form of direct democracy, also called pure democracy. That's where people make decisions themselves on issues of public interest. These referendums can be binding or advisory. The largest binding referendum is whether Illinois should revise its 38-year-old constitution. If voters say yes, a constitutional convention will be called. The 1970 constitution will be scrutinized by 11