Non-partisan systems tend to be different from partisan systems as concerns nominations. In a direct democracy, one type of non-partisan democracy, any eligible person can be nominated. Although elections were used in ancient Athens, in Rome, and in the selection of popes and Holy Roman emperors, the origins of elections in the contemporary world lie in the gradual emergence of representative government in Europe and North America beginning in the 17th century. In some systems no nominations take place at all, with voters free to choose any person at the time of voting—with some possible exceptions such as through a minimum age requirement—in the jurisdiction. In such cases, it is not required (or even possible) that the members of the electorate be familiar with all of the eligible persons, though such systems may involve indirect elections at larger geographic levels to ensure that some first-hand familiarity among potential electees can exist at these levels (i.e., among the elected delegates).
non-partisan systems tend to be different from partisan systems as concerns nominations in a direct democracy one type of non-partisan democracy any eligible person can be nominated although elections were used in ancient athens in rome and in the selection of popes and holy roman emperors the origins of elections in the contemporary world lie in the gradual emergence of representative government in europe and north america beginning in the 17th century in some systems no nominations take place at all with voters free to choose any person at the time of voting—with some possible exceptions such as through a minimum age requirement—in the jurisdiction in such cases it is not required (or even possible) that the members of the electorate be familiar with all of the eligible persons though such systems may involve indirect elections at larger geographic levels to ensure that some first-hand familiarity among potential electees can exist at these levels (ie among the elected delegates)