Mastering Politics: Voting
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Politics can be a confusing place with a lot of noise and ego. However, it is worthwhile and deserves your attention when it matters. And this week’s Mastering Politics will explain why it’s important to vote, no matter who you vote for.
People died for your right
The most obvious reason to vote, especially if you’re a woman, is because people died for your right to do so. It would be disrespectful to refuse the right that your foresisters died for, so you should exercise your vote for them.
If you’re a man, people still died for your right to vote. Before 1928, only some men were able to vote. The women who fought for their votes also secured wider voting rights for men too, so they took one for your team as well.
Parties get money even if they don’t get elected
Some people say voting is a waste of time because they live in areas with what is labelled ‘safe seats’, meaning that there is always an overwhelming majority vote for one Party in that constituency.
However, it is still worth voting for others because Parties are allocated funding after elections based on how many votes they were given. If the Green Party got no votes at all, it wouldn’t get any money. But the more votes they get, the more money. This enables them to campaign and create better campaigns too.
You can’t complain if you don’t participate
Whether or not your chosen candidate is elected, voting means you get a say in the current politics. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about anything political at all because you haven’t even bothered to attempt the one small act you can do to change it.
So, no vote means no complaining. Can you really keep that up?
You can still vote for nobody
If you don’t want to vote or don’t feel like any Party is good for you, you can spoil your paper. You can draw a massive penis on your paper, write a huge rant or a stupid name in protest. This way, you’re still exercising your rights. And you can get a postal vote to do it – you don’t even need to leave your house.