What are characteristics of a democracy and how it affects the citizens? Where did democracy originate?

Characteristics of a democracy include the ability for citizens within a society to have a voice in the policies instituted by their government. Democracies are ruled by a system of voting where citizens seek to create a majority decision relative to a particular issue. It affects citizens by providing them with a space to make their voice heard relative to democracy. Democracy has its origins in places across the globe most notably in ancient Greece.