Here is what my understand of Islam is on this matter. Islam considers Men and Woman to be EQUAL but NOT identical. The number of times Men and woman are mentioned in the Holy Quran is exactly the same.
Men have certain PRIMARY role such as being responsible for feeding and protecting his family. The wife may help him by working. But it is NOT an obligation on her. She does NOT have to share her earnings with her husband and the Husband has NO right to question her spending of her earned income.
With regards to elections and votings, this is a new concept. There were no elections at the time of the prophet as he was the leader of the Muslim community. But it is well documented that the Prophet would often go to his wives for advise and consulation. Also members of the community would see advise from the wives of the prophet. This shows that woman were not ignored but their opinions valued by others.
Based on these facts and interpreting how the prophet would act when faced with challenges (Consulting wives) we can infer that the opinion of a woman in social matters is equivalent to that of a man.
My humble opinion is that woman have same voting rights as men in the light of the Quran and the prophets life.
