Why Vote?
“It’s not worth it! Politicians don’t listen. My vote doesn’t make a difference. I don’t know anything about politics. None of it affects me anyway. They’re all crooks. I don’t believe in the system. I don’t have time.”
Sound familiar? Well, you’re right about some of these things, some of the time. But there’s other ways to think about politics.Try these on for size:
The Soft Sell
If we don’t vote, those in power have no reason to care about our issues or us. Voting won’t change things overnight — but it is a tool. It’s one way to make the world more like the place you want it to be.
If you don’t think there is anything worth voting for, remember that in the end you vote for people in your community. Take a few minutes and find out about the candidates and, if they have one, the political party they represent and their ideas and platforms. You will probably find something or someone you can get behind.
And if you feel like you don’t know enough to confidently cast a ballot, it is so easy these days to find out new things in innovative new ways. Check out this new shiny app.
Do a few searches, talk to the people around you, don’t be afraid to ask questions!
The Hard Sell
Get off your can and vote ya spoiled brat. In the information age, ignorance is no excuse. If you don’t vote, NO ONE wants to listen to you whine or complain next time round. Not one word! Oh, and if you don’t vote, you can’t take credit for anything either.
If you think not voting sends a message — I’ll show them, I won’t show up! — then think again. It says a lot about you— not much of it good — and nothing concrete about the system or politicians or anything else. And question anybody who tells you different — especially anonymously in an online forum. What are you, a bot-follower?
The Over-easy Sell
Voting in Canada in 2011 is easy, but people fought hard for your right to vote. We’re talking about democracy here. It is not a given. It is not something that will always be around for us whenever we decide we need it. Democracy has to be fed if it’s going to stay alive.
And here’s a secret from elections past: Voting feels good! In the 1960 documentary The Primary, about John F. Kennedy campaigning in Wisconsin, there are multiple shots of peoples’ feet as they tick that box in a voting booth— and it’s amazing: They all curl up their toes. Yup, voting feels real good.
