Voting
...holds. Voting allows the majority opinion to preside over a country or elected official (World Book). Also, voting is the way for people to have a voice or elect a voice in their government.
In the United States, the citizens are given the right to vote as soon as they turn the age of eighteen (World Book). In many countries, people vote to choose their leaders and to decide public issues. People also vote to make decisions in such groups as juries, labor unions, corporations, and social clubs. However, nations that do not have a democratic form of government usually do not allow their citizens any real choice in voting. In a number of these countries, people may vote, but only for candidates named by the country's leadership (World Book). In this case, a country's leadership already chooses the majority opinion.
Citizens of democratic countries consider voting one of their chief rights because it allows them to choose who will govern them (World Book). In almost all of these countries, most candidates seek office as members of a political party. In the United States, there are two main parties, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Also, in the USA, there are many independent parties such as the Green Party (Rasmussen Reports). Voters may elect their public officials either directly or indirectly. In direct elections, the citizens themselves vote for the officials. In indirect elections, the voters elect representatives, who then choose the officials (World Book). At the University of South Florida, students elect or reelect a president and vice president to serve in student government. Then the president and vice president elect the Executive Branch (USF Handbook).
In democracies, people vote on many issues besides elections for public officials (World Book). For example, they may vote on whether to build a school, expand the police force, or...
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