Note: This post has been contributed.
Image Credit: Unsplash
Voting is at the very centre of democracy. It gives the people a chance to voice their opinions as well as elect a spokesperson to ensure their views are put forward. Whatever your politics and whatever you believe, everyone should take the time to go to their local polling station and cast their vote.
The more people who cast their votes, the more likely it is that society will come to reflect the views of the majority. Now while this might sound pretty risky given that the public isn’t too bright, it is the best way we have of determining how the political landscape is leaning and what we need to do to make society better for everyone.
Engaging in Politics is Your Right
You have the right to engage in politics so it makes no sense for you to ignore this right. If you have an opinion, the most important thing you can do is cast a vote to make sure that someone who represents your views (or at least similar views) is voted in.
When you choose not to engage with politics, you automatically forfeit your right to complain about everything. Almost everything in society comes down to politics from women’s rights to how frequently the buses run. If you don’t choose to engage, then you are saying that you don’t care about society. This makes no sense. Don’t be so lazy!
You Can Spoil Your Ballot If You Want
There are some people who claim that they don’t vote because they disagree with all the candidates and don’t want to vote for anyone. While this point of view is completely understandable, rather than not showing, you should spoil your ballot instead. You can write anything on a ballot paper and make your feelings known this way.
When people don’t show up to vote, this is regarded as apathy rather than protest. Spoiling your ballot makes it clear to the politicians that they have not worked hard enough to persuade you of their mission and that they can still do more to win you over. Sending this message is much more productive than doing nothing at all.
The Youth Vote is Important
In general, the youth vote is always the smallest turnout. Whether it’s in the Presidential elections or the election for the az sec of state, this is a problem. Simply put, the youth of today will have to live with any and all political decisions for a heck of a lot longer than the older voters. Your perspective on life is very different when you are in your 80s to when you are in your 20s.
Talking to your kids about voting is a good way to set them up for a good attitude to democracy when they are older, but if you can engage younger voters in your social group as well, then all the better.
The more people vote, the more people get to dictate to politicians how society should work.