On election day, citizens of contemporary democracies cast their ballots using a number of techniques and tools, but how did voters in the past vote? Historians gathered some interesting details from Athens, the first and only direct democracy, and the Roman Republic, which are almost democratic as the richer classes had a greater impact than the impact of workers.
The “dumos,” or free male citizens, were the only ones allowed to participate in democracy in both Athens and Rome; women and slaves were not allowed to vote.
According to Eric Robinson, a history professor at Indiana University and the editor of the Book of ancient Greek Democrats: “There were very few elections in Athens because the ancient Atinists did not feel that the elections are the most democratic way to choose politicians.” sources and readings: “In order for democracy to fully vest the people with authority Not only for the wealthy, but for everyone, you had to pick individuals at random to handle things.
There were 10 tribes in Athens, and each tribe was responsible for sending 50 individuals to serve for one year in a council of 500. The Athenians utilised a procedure known as sorting to choose who will work in the 500th Council, the main administrative body of Athens.
Each qualified citizen has been granted a distinctive personal symbol and these distinctive symbols were introduced in a special machine called Kleroterion that used a technology that has not been known for a long time (includes pipes and balls) to determine the contribution of each tribe in the council randomly.
In Athens, the association (Ekklsia), a sizable democratic body where every citizen has a voice, decides all legislation and court proceedings.
About 6000 of the 30,000–60,000 residents of Athens routinely attended and took part in the association’s sessions.
The association met on a natural runway on top of a hill called PNYX, which is derived from a Greek word meaning “tightly packed”, and can accommodate between 6000 and 13,000 people..
How did ancient citizens participate in elections? The Athens clereoterion machine’s history
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