Voting often refers to collective action in which people's preferences, ideologies, and will speak for themselves. Even in authoritarian and non-democratic regimes, elections exist and voter turnout tends to incorporate a large percentage of the population. Even more commonly in authoritarian regimes, candidates are repeated for years and even decades and outcomes are often predetermined. Elections in non-democratic regimes exist at different levels; however, they rarely provide opportunities to modify the existing regime. According to Lisa Blaydes, a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, elections in these nondemocratic regimes are essential for several reasons. Egypt, for example, chooses to hold elections due to constant pressure from the United States and global institutions to be more democratic. Furthermore, elections are crucial for the survival of the regime itself. Furthermore, elections also allow the regime to identify its supporters against its opponents (Magaloni, 2006). Political life in authoritarian regimes (in particular Jordan and Egypt, from the articles read) divides society in two: the wealthy minority who run for office and buy votes and the poor majority of citizens who sell themselves to the "highest bidder". Often outcomes in authoritarian regimes are predetermined and candidates are repeated for years and decades. Why then do people in such regimes have the incentive to vote? Despite the fact that these votes rarely represent a change in the regime, the results are significant and illustrate the nature of the political sphere in authoritarian regimes. Voting in authoritarian regimes could be ca...... middle of paper... ...which they are doing again and again. To realize this they must first be properly educated. Voting for autocrats in authoritarian regimes because of survival can prevent them, since people want to survive. But if the same candidates are elected over and over again, and the same people are still not able to survive, except in election times, people need to understand and be able to see the pattern. More importantly, I would also question those who belong to the upper classes of society. I would like, for example, to know how they managed to achieve a decent quality of life and whether or not their personal connections came from members of the regime. It is interesting to see why they don't vote and, despite this, how they manage to earn a living. How come they don't change what happens if it's not acceptable and why don't they care?