I'm assuming that most people don't know whom Shantae is, and that is because her franchise has a very interesting backstory. I'm gonna try to give you guys the scoop as to why she is awesome and that she deserves your vote.
Her franchise's backstory:
Her original game, Shantae, came out for the Gameboy Color. One problem: it came out when the gameboy advance was in full swing, so her game got relatively unnoticed and not too many copies were produced (leading to a GBC Shantae cartridge becoming quite expensive today, couple hundred dollars), and the original publisher (CAPCOM) dropped the franchise. The game sold poorly despite it receiving amazing reviews from critics.
Shantae seemed to be gone forever, until fairly recently. Her small but dedicated fan base eventually lead the original developer of Shantae, Wayforward Games, to make and release a sequel for DSiWare in 2011. This game was received fairly well and it helped reboot the half-genie's series.
Recently, a third game for 3DSWare has been announced, and will be released in the future. The original GBC game has been confirmed to be coming to 3DS virtual console and there is most likely going to be a Shantae game released for the Wii U eventually (being confirmed by Wayforward a while bit ago).
As you can see, Shantae has made a huge comeback from being almost forgotten, a huge accomplishment. Granted, she still isn't widely known BUT she is becoming slowly but surely more popular.
Now that is out of the way, what the HECK can she do?
Well, being a half-genie, she has magical capabilities. She can shoot fire, summon thunderclouds, and generate protective spiky balls to float around her (inb4 inappropriate jokes).
However, she also has the unique ability to use the magical power of dance to teleport and transform. Forms she can turn into include a monkey, elephant, spider, harpy, Tinkerbat (the main minion of the villain), and a mermaid, all of which have their own attributes which are used for solving puzzles and maneuvering around environments.
She isn't limited to magic, however; she also has pretty awesome physical capabilities as well. She can kill enemies by using her long ponytail as a whip and has a pretty nasty kick attack from the first game.
I can't really say much else except to say check Shantae out, it's a great game series that I feel like everyone should enjoy. Even if you don't vote for her on the polls (which I could see since she isn't really important to anything), I really do try to encourage you to check out one of her games sometimes (preferably the 1st one, it's better, though I suppose harder to play).
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask~