BBC’s Nik Gowing hosts a live “Special World Debate” with panelists Economic Historian Niall Ferguson, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, Goldman Sachs Jim O’Neill, International Monetary Fund’s Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Chairmwoman of Sabanci Holding Guler Sabanci at the Istanbul Congress Center October 3, 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Annual IMF/World Bank meetings are being held this year in Istanbul, Turkey. IMF Staff Photo/Stephen Jaffe I recen

I don’t think I’ve missed an election–primary, general, or run-off–since I’ve been voting. My first ballot I cast in a presidential election, and I did so by absentee ballot because I was out of state attending college. Not all of “my” candidates have won, of course. Too often, I’ve been on the losing side, it seems. But that’s okay. I’ve made my tiny, conscience-driven voice heard. My impact on the voting has declined over the years. I used to be able to deliver five votes: