It is a chilly winter morning in Lichang Village of Zuoquan County, in the northern province of Shanxi, when Song Xianglin's big day begins. If everything goes according to plan, he will be voted in for a third term as chair of his village committee. Although the position is not an official government one in real sense, Song treats it seriously and with pride.

Over the past decade, grassroots politics have swept across the Chinese countryside. Villagers voting in committee elections are building a foundation for China's democratization.

Casting ballots

Around 9:30 a.m., people begin gathering in front of Lichang villagers' committee building, summoned by a high-pitched loudspeaker. Election rules echo through this small rural community. People chat and giggle, waiting for their biggest event of the year.

Lichang Village, led by Song, is small but in an area that boasts abundant mining resources. Of its 389 residents, 306 meet voting age requirements. The villagers' committee is made up of three members – one chair and two vice chairs – with elections held every three years. There is no limit on the number of terms a person can be re-elected.

This year, four people are running for the three spots. Their campaign speeches were made 10 days earlier. Today's vote is being overseen by a seven-member village election committee (also elected by the villagers), and a man appears in front of the crowd explaining how to fill out a ballot. A box plastered with red paper – an auspicious symbol – is on display. Its bottom is sealed in view of the villagers.

When the election officially begins, people cheerfully flood into the hall to register to vote. Once registered, they get their ballots and head upstairs to cast their ballots.

Only one person at a time may enter the voting area on the second floor. Exiting the room, they place their ballots in the red box sealed earlier. It will take hours for the results to be posted. Voters are allowed to challenge the final outcome.

In China, a large village may have more than 10,000 residents, while smaller ones only have several hundred. There are over 600,000 village committees managing the country's rural areas.

While they rank at the bottom of China's governing hierarchy, villagers' committees are self-managed mass organizations. Such committees generally oversee all the administrative matters of a village, including budget management, public utilities and dispute resolution. Public safety, social order and security, health issues and local business management also fall under the purview of a villagers' committee.

Farmers living in rural China may not have a profound understanding of the word "democracy," but they are at the forefront of China's democratization.