Vote is the most powerful tool citizens have to influence public decisions. Your vote can make the difference between someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart and somebody who does. Often, victories are decided by a few votes.
Voting may take place in a formal manner (such as when a member of a society or club, or shareholders in a company, decides on officers or adopts rules), or it may be informal (such as when friends or family members decide which film to see). In most modern liberal democracies voters are asked to submit a secret ballot to prevent influence by others. This can be done electronically, through a show of hands, voice voting or audience response systems, or by simply noting which outcome seems to have more support.
In some cases, such as when a candidate doesn’t receive a majority in the first round of an election, a second round is held. This is known as a runoff election. The method used for this varies widely, but in the United States it often involves a simple majority or plurality vote, as well as various proportional representation or block voting methods.
Some social movements are opposed to voting and argue that the current political system doesn’t represent their interests. For example, poor citizens in South Africa have been leading the campaign “No Land! No House! No Vote!”, spearheaded by the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign and Abahlali baseMjondolo.
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