ONE of the most critical ways that individuals can influence government decision-making is through the voting process. In every democratic society in the world, voting is the instrument that society uses to determine their fate and that of their nation. Thus, it is vital for people to be given the right to vote.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, recognises the integral role that transparent and open elections play in ensuring the fundamental right to participatory government. Article 21 of the UDHR states that: