Republicans have a longstanding disdain for "democracy," instead referring to U.S. as a "republic".

[Aristus]

8. Yes, but they had to already be Senators before they campaign for the office of consul.

And Senators were not chosen by popular vote; they were appointed by an official called the Censor, the same official who kept the role of Roman citizens (known as the census, natch... )

One could only be a Senator if one had an income of at least a million a year, derived solely from the ownership of land. And in the early centuries of the Republic, you could only be a Senator if you came from a patrician family. If you were from a plebian family, you couldn't be appointed to the Senate no matter your other qualifications.

So basically, when an average Roman voter went to the polls, they were voting for the candidates the Senate had already chosen.