ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the issue of representation. It examines how the electoral system affects the representative character of government. The concept of representation is central to the democratic belief that government should reflect the values and policy preferences of its citizens. Initially, most elected officials were required by most state laws to be male, Christian, and property-holders. They also tended to be white, better educated than the average male citizen, and usually prominent within their respective communities. People want their representatives to serve their constituency and the nation. But serving both may be difficult if constituency and the nation's beliefs and interests diverge. Representation is dynamic with considerable interaction between the representative and the represented. Both are influenced by communications that flow between them, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly through political parties, non-party groups, and the news and social media.
