Voting is important, so stop with the excuses
By Gloria Mellesmoen
Photos by Flikr
Those who choose not to participate in an election, because they equate voting for their preferred candidate to wasting their vote, are easily worse than those who vote for whichever party is currently the most hated.
In 2009 I participated in Student Vote BC — an official mock election for elementary and secondary schools across the province. It yielded 47 seats for the BC NDP, 24 for the BC Liberals, and 12 seats for the Green Party of BC. These “votes” were the voice of a new generation and reflected the issues that future voters cared about.
The media talked about our mock election and about what the changing political landscape would need to reflect as we came of age. We voted because we wanted our voices heard and believed that, even though it would not directly affect the results of the election, it was important.
I am 20 now and I still believe in the importance of voting, whether in a mock Student Vote election or the real thing. I voted for the Green Party because they represent several issues that I care about. I do not consider this to be a wasted vote like I have heard many of my peers refer to it as. Hell, the Green Party of BC won their first seat, which is pretty significant. Before I receive hate for not voting NDP in an election where it might have made a difference, my electoral district was called as NDP almost immediately after it appeared as the 85th to report.
Each vote is a word, and when you add them together at the end of the election, a story emerges. Though one vote for the BC Conservatives or Green Party of BC might not seem to matter in isolation, it does when added up. Abstaining on the grounds that your vote will not make a difference sends a message, too. A generation that does not vote is a generation that political parties will not have to worry about trying to please.
Through the majority of the campaign period, I heard my peers complain about the lack of attention to post-secondary education on the party platforms. We should not be surprised about this, given that the youngest demographic of voters generally has the lowest turnout. CTV is saying that the youth vote is virtually non-existent. This is a problem. Why should the election platforms focus on the issues important to a group that does not care enough to take five minutes to place a vote?
Many are also expressing disdain over social media for those who chose to vote for a candidate who was not affiliated with one of the main parties. Instead of directing anger at those who opted to vote for one of the smaller parties, blame should be rightfully placed on the shoulders of those who elected not to cast a ballot.
If I had a vote for every time I heard someone under 25 say their vote doesn’t matter, the election results would tell a markedly different story. This election proves that. If more people voted, I doubt we would have a Liberal majority.
