One sunny day in Washington D.C., a seventh-grader named Sammy accompanied his parents to a voting booth. 'Why do we vote?' Sammy asked his parents. His mother smiled and began explaining, 'In the U.S., we live in a democracy where our government is divided into three parts - the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches.' 'The Legislative branch, or Congress, is responsible for making laws,' she continued. 'It's made up of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate.' 'The President, Vice President, and the Cabinet form the Executive branch, and they ensure these laws are carried out,' his father added. 'And finally, the Judicial branch, which includes the Supreme Court and other federal courts, interprets the laws,' his mother finished. 'But, how do they not become too powerful?' Sammy questioned. 'That's a great question,' his father responded. 'Our system is designed with checks and balances to ensure that no single branch becomes too powerful. Each branch can 'check' the power of the others, which creates a balance.' As Sammy walked with his parents, he realized that he, too, was a part of the system through voting. He looked forward to the day he would cast his own vote in this carefully balanced system of power.