One man, one vote? Think again.

"Frankly, no one deserves my vote," Majd shrugged, stirring her tea vigorously with her spoon. The sugar had long since dissolved into the hot minty water, and pungent steam rose lazily over our conversation. I glanced down at the half-eaten falafel on my plate.

How could someone not hold conviction over something as fundamental to democracy and social expression as voting? I grew up believing voting was a duty and a sacred right, not to be carelessly discarded. It was a way to make one small change in the world...or if all else fails, at least justify your ability to complain about everything wrong about it (ha!). In anycase, I didn't know how to respond right away. So I did what I always do... I listened.

Here's what I heard:

First off, the candidates all make promises they can't keep, and believe the voters fickle enough to make it worth the effort. For example, this year one guy is even promising to make electricity free for  the entirety of Amman. Meanwhile, the King himself is undergoing difficult negotiations with the energy corporation to try and keep their cost hikes as minimal as possible in a time when everything is rapidly getting more expensive. Obviously, free electricity is far from any up-and-coming reality.  Does he really think people will fall for that? Apparently so.

Secondly, every election reflects a form of modern tribalism. Every vote turns into a family battle. Its always the biggest families, with the most name recognition that get voted into parliament...NOT because their policies are sound but because they have the sheer number of people voting for them. And Jordanians "would NEVER consider voting against family. Family has forever been the core value and unit of security here."

Thirdly, parliament doesn't do much anyways. They don't make many decisions unless they are personally invested in the issues at hand, and even then they are moderated by the King. Additionally, parliament is so fraught with corruption (ie. accepting bribes, paying voters) that King Abdullah disbanded the session last year, kicking out all those holding office. However, funnily enough, "those same people are running again without any trouble. What's the point?"

The sad thing is that a 25-year old was shot and killed in riots south of Amman after the release of the results, and another parliamentarian candidate was almost driven over by the brother of the opposing candidate. Worse even is that already, even at the early stages, claims of over $300 JD (~$400) per vote were reported by election fraud officials.

And so, even as Jordan arguably remains to possess the closest thing to democracy in the Middle East, it's easy to be reminded of its monarchic history, cultural traditions, and their continued impact upon modern politics.