They aren't voting for anything meaningful though, so what exactly is the point of getting all teary eyed over their voting?

What, exactly, are these Iraqi elections being held for? Do any of you even know what the purpose of these elections are? Or are you easily swayed by American democratic nationalist sentimentalism about voting, that if a rigged, corrupt, or sham election takes place, you just don't care because it's just nice and inspirational that people bother to vote?

So--who can explain what the purpose of today's Iraqi elections actually is all about?