Get out and Vote!

Today’s the day. And the time for debating and discussing is over – now is the time for action. And each and every one of us can act – by voting.

So get out and vote!

I believe that making an active choice at the election is the duty of everyone. Personally, I would make voting mandatory as they do in Australia. It is only by exercising your right to have a say in the election booth that you can affect any change.

Now, I accept that there isn’t always someone that you would like to vote for. That’s one of my main reasons for promoting independent candidates – to give you more choice and to give you a truly local choice. If you want to see if your constituency has an independent standing go here.

However, if you are fed up with the main parties, don’t want to vote for one of the fringe parties, don’t have an independent in your constituency (or just don’t want to vote for them), then you don’t have to put your ‘X’ in any of their boxes. You can actively choose to not vote for any of them – spoil your ballot paper, or just don’t put a mark anywhere.

But make an active choice.

Don’t be lazy, don’t think that your vote doesn’t count and don’t think that all MPs are the same. Make a choice, even if that choice is no-one, and get out there to the polling station and made sure your choice is registered.

Obviously, I’d like you to vote for the independents. But first of all I just want you to vote.

Just Vote

I was recently sent this email by Neil from The Raging See. I hope he doesn’t mind if I replicate it in full.

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If ever there was a time to be engaged in politics it is now. It is essential that a message is sent to those that are elected to represent us in Parliament so they fully understand that they are there to represent their constituents, all of them, not just the ones that voted for them and, not just to support some party machine. It is easy at times like this to think that they are all the same, and god knows they certainly try and morph into each other, and to wonder whether there is any point to casting our vote but, we can not be apathetic when it comes to politics.

One vote might not seem like much when you are casting it but it sends a message, it says that you care and, it it says what you care about. There only wasted vote is one that has not been cast even if you vote for a minor party or independent or single issue candidate you are telling whoever is eventually elected as your representative what is important to you. You are telling this country and those in power what matters to you

Casting your vote is the first step in the democratic process, a process that is constantly being undermined and, a process for which countless people through history and even today are prepared to sacrifice their lives for. And make no mistake, your vote will affect lives, not only the lives of people in this country but the lives of countless people around the world, you vote could be a matter of life or death. Yes, your vote matters and, wherever it is possible, you should vote for something rather than against something. It doesn’t mater if the “something” you are voting for is not going to win, what matters is that our elected representatives know that this is what we care about, that we are engaged, that they are answerable to us and that it matters enough to us that we are prepared to get up off our arses and to make our way down to a polling station to exercise our right to vote.

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He also thought we might like to watch this:

Thanks Neil