Have a voice, vote

POLLING booths have opened and the ballots started to be cast in the European Union elections and British local elections. The weeks of campaigning have drawn to a close and now the political parties can just wait until the votes are counted. Time will tell if their campaign slogans have swayed an increasingly divided electorate.
It is not the voters who have already made their minds up which will decide the result, however. It is those still not certain that they will vote at all. Data from previous elections has already demonstrated that the majority of the population does not take part in the democratic process for these elections, whether from apathy or as a form of protest. The issue for analysts is trying to determine which of these factors is the strongest. A spoiled ballot gives a clearer indication of a protest than not turning up.
Estimates place the number of countries which deny a free and fair democratic process to all its people conservatively at about 45. Millions of people denied an opportunity to have their say in how they are governed. Across the world conflicts are raging, with hundreds of thousands dying each year, just for the right to have a free election.
The local elections are an important event which allow people to have their say in what happens where they live. It isn't about vague obscurities, they help determine what happens with the refuse collection, the potholes in the street, how the pavements are maintained and numerous other factors which impact on day to day lives.
The EU elections are a more contentious issue which can seem divorced from most people's needs. Rightly or wrongly though Europe has a strong influence on what happens in the UK. If people want the right to complain about, or support, what the EU does in regards to Britain then this is their chance to do so.
Polling stations are located across the country. They are designed to be as easy to get to as possible. They opened at 7am and the hardworking people manning them keep them open until 10pm and are there to help if anyone is unsure how they vote. It only takes a minute to cast a ballot and yet it is such an important thing to do. Not voting doesn't change anything. If you want elected officials to listen then you have to speak.

This is an opinion piece written by Daniel Gibson and in no way endorses any individual party, just the process.

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