Citizens voted in assemblies by tribe or social class. The Roman voting system was based on a complex system of assemblies and councils. The most important assembly was the Comitia Centuriata, which voted on laws and elected magistrates. The Comitia Centuriata was divided into 193 centuries, or voting units, based on social class and wealth. The wealthiest citizens had the most votes, while the poorest citizens had only one vote.
Voting was open and public. Citizens cast their votes by placing a wooden tablet into a ballot box. The tablets were marked with the names of the candidates or the issues being voted on.
The candidate with the most votes won the election. If no candidate received a majority of the votes, a runoff election was held.
The voting process was supervised by magistrates. The magistrates were responsible for ensuring that the voting was fair and honest. They also counted the votes and announced the winners.
The Roman voting system was not always fair or democratic. The wealthy citizens had a much greater say in the government than the poor citizens. This often led to corruption and abuse of power. However, the Roman voting system was a significant step forward in the development of democracy.