The American brand of democracy features a principle called federalism, which is a power-sharing arrangement between the federal government and the individual states. The reason this principle is so important in America is that the colonial Americans had had experience with a national government becoming too powerful—the British Parliament and king, for example. Thus, in order to counter the creation of an all-powerful national government, the Framers designed a system where the states and/or the federal government could check the powers of either one. Nevertheless, each state can create its own laws, so long as those laws do not violate the Constitution. Hence, federalism ensures that our national government does not become too powerful.

Another principle in the American brand of democracy is the separation of powers, a principle that allots equal power to each of the three branches of the federal government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch makes law; the executive enforces the law; and the judicial interprets the law. This separation gives each branch a "check" on the other branches; this is to ensure that one branch does not overpower the others.

The two principles above were created, debated, and written into the US Constitution in order to ensure a third principle: popular sovereignty. This last principle is a guarantee that the popular will remains one of the highest principles. In virtually every election in the US, including each state and local election, the will of the majority will decide the victor. This is especially true on the state level, where popular sovereignty reigns supreme.

In our federal system, where national and state sovereignty are paramount, there are checks and balances between federal and state entities, and between federal branches, ensuring that the will of the people is protected at all times.