To have legitimate representation. Voice that matters. Combat patriarchy. Balance of allocation of funding. Efforts of ancestors should be paid homage to.

Voting is my proud right to choose our leaders. I get to decide who decides for me. Money decisions about changes in my country. Having the opportunity to voice my concerns. Having the chance to reeducate my decisions on choices.

Voting meanings I have say in who gets elected, what laws get elected and how the government money is spent.

1) Voter suppression including district gerrymandering
2) Funding for candidates often seems to make them beholden to special interest groups
3) Purposeful misinformation regarding legitimacy of elections.
4) Lack of faith in the democratic process.

Erosion of the idea of public good. Also the way success is defined – achievement in terms of money and power.

The main challenges facing democracy today are much of the electorate’s inability to think critically and to exert the necessary mental energy to research not just the issues, but workable and equitable solutions. A willfully uninformed public that prefers unverified opinions, even repetitive ranting, will be the undoing of our society no matter the form of government. We have seen what tyranny of the majority and moneyed interests have done to political discourse, pursuit of sound policies and the well-being of the nation as a whole. Demagoguery and jingoism coupled with authoritarian populism are readying to tear our house down. More credible, serious media coverage, a cessation of algorithmic pandering in an atmosphere of real civics education may be the the beginning of the long arduous way forward to a truly a civil society.