by Fiona Thompson

Created on: January 25, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

Working with young people, I often hear them say they are not interested in politics and that they will not vote. That's a complete contrast to when I was young and couldn't wait to be old enough to vote in my first election.

There's an old saying that says "if voting ever changed anything, they'd abolish it" and I have to admit it often seems like what the government does is in complete contrast to what most people seem to want. However, a vote is a powerful thing and to squander it is to insult not only those people who campaigned (and sometimes died for) for universal suffrage and those people around the world who still do not have the right to vote.

Voting is still seen as a privilege and is often denied to those who are in prison or who do not pay certain taxes; appearing on the electoral roll means you'll be identified and then be liable for the same taxes as everyone else there's no hiding place if you want your vote.

But why should we vote? First off voting allows you to demonstrate your approval or disapproval of a certain politician, party or policy. We should not feel entitled to complain about certain affairs if we have not bothered to vote after all you cannot effect change by doing nothing.

Furthermore, voting gives legitimacy to the government and demonstrates that the people have had a chance to make themselves heard. In a democracy the power must go to whoever satisfies the conditions of the appropriate electoral system and the public must show they agree. That not everyone agrees is simply accounted for by the right of the party or person who wins the vote to take the prize. If we agree to the conditions of the vote, we must agree to live with the results.

As members of a fair society we should vote because power should be in the hands of the many and not the few. Having to satisfy the electorate should ideally make politicians and parties more accountable and open.

Of course, it is not always easy to decide who to vote for and I believe this shows up a flaw in many electoral systems. What do you do if you really do not want to vote for any of the parties represented? How does the eager voter take part without having to compromise? You could say that the voter must listen and learn and research to come to an informed decision and pick the party that best represents them even if they do not fully support all of that party's policies.

What if you just can't bring yourself to vote for any of those people? A democracy that wishes to insist on its electorate taking part in elections must give the voters a chance to abstain, literally saying I do not wish to vote for anyone represented on this ballot paper and for the number of abstensions to be counted up as part of the results. At last a clean conscience for the person who wishes to exercise their democratic right but doesn't fancy any of the options.

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