Vote Joke

I voted on thursday. After worrying that I would forget I made a mad dash down there and caught the after-work-rush of parents clambering in the church hall, kids in tow, to put pen to paper and have their say. What I always find funny is the conversation you pick up in the queue, "Mummy...what are you doing?", "I'm voting." "Why?" "Because...well, I don't know to be honest. So I can stupidly feel like I've made a difference."

I understand the frustration, it is very easy to feel as if your one vote has no potential to change anything. But at risk of sounding trite, what if everyone thought like that? It seems very obvious to me that the consistent, dedicated voters are often people who feel a strident dedication to a certain party politic. Therefore it is important for those of us less sure of the party that 'represents us' but certain that we need freedom and equality to make sure we cast our vote.
I was down at the hall for quite a bit of time and I didn't see anyone younger than 30 go in to vote. That's not to say that they didn't, but I think you'd find, if you researched, that young people who vote are in the minority.

I was always told that if you don't cast a vote yourself you have no right to argue over the outcome of the resulting politics. I agree with this - even more so now I've heard several friends and acquaintances moan about the state of the results. I'm not suggesting that if everyone I knew voted there would be a markedly different result, only that the result would have the potential of being different, and said friends would feel that they had their say.

Essentially I agree that if you don't want to vote, you don't have to, and if you don't know who to vote for that is fair enough as it can be difficult to decide for the best these days. But I think everyone should have a bloody go. Especially women. It's easy to forget that not so very long ago we women would not have even had the chance to have a say in the running of the country. Now we can we should, it's very important that we make our mark.

So, having made the effort to cast my vote, now when the results are terrible I feel like I actually am allowed to moan about it. And moan I will.