Elections in the US are regular affairs. In democracies (‘the many’) like the UK, Israel, Germany, Japan, and India, elections can happen quite frequently, based on established rules. However, elections in oligarchies (‘the few’) and autocracies (‘the one’) occur based on rules that the governments themselves change.

Democratic elections like those in the US, UK, and Israel may be messy but proceed under transparent rules and timing. In the US, there is a definitive schedule; in the UK and Israel, there are well-understood triggers. As oligarchies (‘the few’) come to resemble autocracies (‘the one’), the rules become clouded and doubted, as in China and Russia. Participatory and responsible citizens require a clear understanding.