Voting gives you the power to decide how the UK is run and maybe my opinion is a little controversial but I hate it when people complain about what is going on politically and party policies when they didn't go out and make their opinion heard when it came down to it. What upsets me even more than that is that my own age category at the last general election had the worst voting turnout when these decisions could impact their lives ahead.
The Future is Waiting
At the last general election in 2015 the turnout was 66.1% including spoiled ballots, That means 33.9% did not vote. That means that the number of people who did not vote outnumbered the votes tallied by any one individual party. Today is the last day you can register to vote for the General Election and I urge anyone who isn't already registered to do it here: gov.uk/register-to-vote. I mean if you haven't, what are you doing?If the non-voters were a political party they would have won 339 seats.
Too many people think that voting isn't important. Too many people also think that their vote can't or won't make a difference but the above figures speak for themselves and prove that it does. Too many people these days are caught up in their lives to educate themselves about manifestos and party policies when that education could really make a difference.
How does the voting system work?
The voting system used to elect MPs to the House of Commons and local elections in England and Wales is called the First Past the Post system. The UK is divided into various voting areas (constituencies or wards). At a general election, voters mark an X in the box next to their preferred candidate and when the votes are counted the candidate with the most votes is elected. At a national level the number of seats within the constituencies or wards are counted and the prime minister is the head of the party with the highest number of seats. The main criticism of this system is that the number of votes cast does not always reflect the number of seats won by a party.
Local v National
Now I've always been torn on who to vote for and divided over whether to cast my vote with a mind for the national overview or by concentrating at a local level. I try and weigh up both the local and national manifesto's to see what will impact me the most and where my priorities lie. In the last election I voted for what I thought would be best locally as the issues in my area were a priority for me. This election I am likely to vote with a more national mind as currently the party pledges will impact me more significantly than at a local level.
Blank Vote
You can actually blank vote. If you don't want to vote because you aren't aligned to any of the available candidates, rather than sitting on your sofa at home you can turn up and leave your vote blank. It get's counted towards the turnout percentages, in related reports and announced within the results. It voices that you are disengaged with the candidates.Who to vote for?
Well primarily that decision is up to you. I'm not going to preach about who anyone should be voting for as it is such an individual task. I Side With is a quiz which assesses your priorities through a series of questions and analyses which parties policies you have the closest links to. If you are interested in voting tactically then Progressive Alliance might also be of interest to you.
I would love to think that this post could encourage just one person to register to vote or go and vote who wouldn't have previously. I think it's a real shame that the majority in the UK don't turnout on such a critical day. On social media there is a campaign running called #NotThe33 so please share, tweet and spread the word. Go Register to Vote - You have until midnight!!
