In the purest sense, it means the ability to vote, and to have that vote count. The voice of the people is heard through their votes, but only if those votes matter. To elaborate, there are countries where you can vote but there is only one name on the ballot-which, as you can imagine, does not allow for the voice the people. Now that we understand the definition, let's explore democracy's attributes and pitfalls. For example, if democracy is such a great thing (as Western societies proclaim) why did Aristotle hate it so much? Any thoughts?