Why you should vote
No good reason not to vote, plenty of reasons why you should
We live in a democracy which means every person gets the opportunity to exercise their right to elect the government in a free election. However, in the 2020 general election 655,094 (or 18.46%) of eligible voters chose not to vote. More than 30% of those 29 years and younger who were eligible to vote, didn’t! 30%!
If you’re one of those who didn’t vote in 2020 or you’re considering not voting in this upcoming election on 14 October then this message is for you.
There is no good reason not to vote. There are some common reasons why some choose not to vote which I want to dismiss right from the start.
Voter apathy
If this is you, shame on you. Apathy is a disease that is all too common in our community, let alone when it comes to our responsibility to participate in a general election. Apathy means you don’t care. Literally, a lack of care for much at all. Too many people have apathetic views towards their own job, career, goals, or future. It’s the opposite of ambition, a desire to thrive and achieve. It’s time to pay attention and care about what is happening with our country and the decisions that are made by your government.
“My vote won’t make a difference”
If everyone thought that their vote didn’t count then hardly anyone would vote. If not many end up voting then the government would not reflect the majority of the people. It would represent a minority who decided to actually vote. Every vote matters, every vote counts, and collectively your vote, and mine, form the views of our communities. So your vote does makes a difference!
“I don’t know anything about the Parties”
This is another lazy excuse because there is loads of information available for you to read and understand what each party and candidate is standing for. Here are the websites for the top 5 political parties so you can’t say you don’t have any information.
You don’t like any particular party
You might find yourself struggling to pick a party, or local MP that you actually like. You might think they all suck and you don’t want to vote for anyone. Well I believe it’s better to vote for the lesser of two evils otherwise you might regret it later if the worst case scenario ends up in government or as your local MP.
Now let’s talk about reasons WHY you SHOULD vote.
Here are 5 reasons why you should vote:
1) It’s the right thing to do
As a citizen of this country it’s the RIGHT thing to do. It’s your duty and responsibility to honour the legacy of New Zealand’s democracy. Democracy is built on the philosophy of the social contract. Individuals participating in society agree to the rules, laws, regulations that govern the society in which they live in exchange for the protection of their rights. Every single person has an equal opportunity to benefit.
2) You get free choice
You get to choose who represents you. You get to have a say in what you believe is important. We live in a democracy which means the people have the opportunity to vote for who they want to govern the country. There are many countries around the world that are controlled by the most powerful as opposed to those being elected. There is no choice for many of these people, they get what they are given and there is no escaping. We live in a free country, let’s keep it that way.
3) Your vote counts
1 person, 1 vote – no matter who you are, no matter how successful you are, whether you’re rich or poor, 18 years old or 98 years old, every person gets 1 vote and an equal say. The odds that your 1 vote will hold the balance of power as to who will govern this country is astronomically small but collectively all of our votes add up. If we think that our vote won’t make a difference then eventually no one would vote. Every vote counts. Make yours count. It’s a collective effort, for the greater good.
4) Your vote influences the lives of others
Your vote can impact long lasting implications on you and your community. The decisions that are made by the government in power will impact you at some point in your life. It is not correct to think that whoever the government is won’t affect you, because it will. If you live in this country, it affects you. Health care, education, taxes, law & order, foreign affairs, family issues, immigration, the economy. All of these areas have either a direct or an indirect impact on you and your life, so your vote for how those things are managed does actually matter.
5) Minimise regret
When you vote, you get the right to complain. If you don’t vote, what right do you have to complain about the decisions that the government makes in relation to areas that affect you and your family? Healthcare, education, taxes, foreign affairs, law & order, and so on. They all impact you. You might regret that you didn’t have a say – and if a party ends up governing that you don’t like and the country ends up in tatters, at least you can say, it wasn’t my fault.
So by now you know there is no good reason not to vote, there are many reasons why you should vote, and you can go into this free and democratic election knowing that your vote matters.
Make your vote count.
