The most common conversation topic that has been burning on everyone’s lips for the past few weeks has been the general election that is being held on the 12th of December- and mainly who you are going to vote for. Whilst many feel confident saying who they are voting for, others feel that their vote should remain a secret (maybe from fear of judgement from others). However, there is one more group of people who have been involved in the conversation about voting- the non-voters.
In the last referendum of 2015, a reported 34% of people did not vote- that was more than the percentage of people who voted for any of the parties. It is becoming a big problem that people are not voting, because those that did not vote could have had the power to completely sway the results of the election. Even if you do not agree with any of the party’s policies, it is important you still send off your poll slip- even if you spoil it or leave it blank. There are many other reasons that you should vote- if you vote for a party that you doubt will win, it will show the current PM what policies the public like about the certain party; it may even make them adopt that change for their own party.
Voting is important because it enables you to have control over what happens to you. Every day governments make decisions that affect our lives in some way – education, services and the state of our environment- and election day is the one day where you really have the chance to have your voice heard. You can decide how you think the country should be run. Many MPs do not know the extent of struggles that members of the public go through on a daily basis, and by voting you are showing them that you believe that their policies and ideas could be way to help improve the lives of many around the country.
A special note for all the women out there reading this, 1918 was the year that women could vote- 101 years ago. After centuries of being supressed and treated as lower than the men, women were finally able to have their voices heard. Women laid down their lives, so you today could have the right to do the same as men. When you stay at home and ‘Can’t be bothered to vote’ you are discrediting the lives of all the women that fought for you to have this opportunity.
The number of young adults who vote every year is always severely lower than the number of 65+ who vote. Now this might not seem like a big problem to many, but many politicians look at the age ranges of their supporters and are more likely to tailor their decisions to benefit those in the age bracket which got them the most support. As a young person, you are going to grow up into this society, so it is even more important that you live under the leadership of a person that will help you throughout your life. As a young person, you are going to spend more time on this planet than any other voting age group, so the significance of your vote is that you will have to deal with the consequences of living under a leader who does not accurately represent your views.
Deciding to vote will benefit the country as a whole because it shows the rest of the world that the UK is a healthy democratically run place. This shows that it is very politically developed, as it appreciates and respects its publics views and opinions. A country where people don’t vote, has historically led to very bad things.
After reading this I implore you to vote, your vote could be the reason that this country is changed. As a member of the public, at this crucial time during election season, your support is one of the most valuable things to a politician right now. Make your vote count, even if you spoil the ballot, you are sending a powerful message to the politicians running- they need to change what they are doing if they want to earn more support in future elections. You have the right to exercise your vote, so do so.
