The people appointed to vote in Athen’s democracy were chosen via lottery. Entirely at random, citizens were picked from the city to come spread their opinions on new issues. These people were typically wealthy men that were fit to lead a household. Sources suggest there could have possibly been 5,000 to 6,000 Athenians at any given meeting.
In the American republic, any and all citizens are eligible to vote so long as they are an official citizen of the U.S. as well as being over 18 years old. Voters are gathered every 4 years to vote on who they want to lead certain areas of the government. According to news sources, America saw almost 160 million voters for the 2020 presidential election.
When it came time to actually vote, certain men were considered to lead the meeting and choose the agenda. These Athenians were also chosen at random. Once the agenda was prepared, the large crowds of voters discussed the issues at hand and voted on them by raising their hands.
In modern-day America, voters vote for a new leader every 4 years. Voters are expected to visit their nearest certified voting station to cast their vote. They are given ballots with the names of the candidates and many other local issues. They then check the circles of the candidates they wish to vote for and send it to another room or machine for it to be counted later.
When the voting had finished, the attendees were typically paid for their time off of work to participate in the government. Votes are then counted towards how certain issues will be tackled. Following these meetings, the people of Athens that did not partake in the meeting would typically speak about the outcome of the voting.
After the ballots are sent in, each state counts the votes and decides who wins the large election. Each state can take multiple weeks to successfully and accurately complete the counting of votes. Every state has a certain amount of votes in the Electoral College which are then added to the total votes of a certain candidate if that candidate got the most votes in that state. Whoever reaches the majority of the electoral votes, wins the presential election.