What principle is the power of the people to elect representatives based on?

The power of the people to elect representatives is fundamentally rooted in the concept of popular sovereignty. This principle asserts that the authority of a government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, typically expressed through their participation in democratic processes, such as voting. In essence, popular sovereignty emphasizes that the legitimacy of governmental power is derived from the will and participation of the populace.

This principle is crucial in a democracy, as it empowers citizens to influence their governance directly by choosing individuals to represent their interests, values, and concerns in legislative bodies and other forms of government. By electing representatives, the people exercise their right to self-governance, which is a core tenet of democratic societies.

Federalism, separation of powers, and judicial independence, while important concepts in the structure and function of government, do not directly address the relationship between the electorate and their representatives in the same way that popular sovereignty does. Federalism refers to the division of power between national and state governments, separation of powers delineates the distinct roles of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, and judicial independence focuses on the functioning of the judiciary free from political pressures. These concepts provide the framework for how government operates but do not inherently capture the direct relationship between the people