I’ve not voted once in my life, I sometimes wasn’t able to due to travelling, not having an address, but when I was able to it was often a very conscious choice. I am very aware that writing that sentence will awake frustration in a lot of people. But let me inform you why first before you voice your frustration about non-voters, it’s often frustrating for non-voters too.
Politics baffles me. In these modern times it’s still a very old system in certain countries. You hear a lot of people on TV and media saying when you don’t vote you let others vote for you. I disagree, I don’t understand why it’s not recognized as a warning sign, well maybe it is recognized as a warning sign but what actions are taken to help people make informed choices. Governments know how many people should be voting and they know how many people have voted. If there is a big number not voting, shouldn’t that be taken into account in decisions? Shouldn’t people realize: Ok we have this many voters and this many non voters, why haven’t people voted (and here comes the big one….drum roll….) and what can we do about that?
One thing I don’t understand is why there isn’t a website or paper made by the government or neutral body with all the objective information you need to vote, all in one place. A website and/or paper where parties are properly outlined, easy to compare them, with politician profiles so you can actually see what people have done and are doing for people and country. Isn’t that something that should be provided? Easy to access proper information about what is happening with campaigns and back up plans? It will be a lot of information easily accessible so you don’t have to look in a hundred different places. Let’s take Brexit for an example and let’s face it, this weird spur of the moment thing is a fiasco. It still baffles me that it has gone through without people even knowing what they actually voted for (some people didn’t even know what Europe is and those people voted…), no one knows what it really is, they got a YES vote and are now figuring out the details, shouldn’t that have been done before? Shouldn’t people have been informed properly what would (and will, no lies please) happen in every way when people vote yes or no? This is an issue that is happening with every election or referendum. Lack of proper objective information or lack of knowing where to find information easily.
‘Vote’ is what you hear on commercials on Youtube and TV. Ok… for who? When I google who to vote for a quiz comes up, yay a quiz who doesn’t like a quiz? But my heart sinks when there are questions such as: Income tax on people earning over £80,000 a year should be increased to help pay for essential services. Hmmm. What kind of question is that? Where is the information so I can make an informed choice? How much would it be raised? Maybe I think yes it should but not too much, or maybe I think how much tax do those people pay anyway I don’t know I don’t earn that much and I don’t know how much tax I could pay without losing so much money it isn’t worth working that hard for and earning it because I need to hand most of it in. Hard working people who don’t harm others (!!!) deserve their money in my opinion (unfortunately there are jobs where people work their butts off and not earn as much as they should which is unfair). Yes, those fortunate people can miss a little bit more but they have worked for it so they should be able to keep and enjoy a little bit more too. Balance. (I’m not going to give my opinion about people who earn a ridiculous amount of money without doing much just because they know the ‘right’ people, maybe another time on another post 😉 Oh and you can argue if a person really needs millions or even a bonus of 100.000 pounds to live a nice life and if a decent minimum and maximum salary might be an idea for certain jobs so money get to go back into the country and to the people. Fucking bloody money, excuse my language, who invented that shit? ;)). Anyway, so those kind of questions put me off a ‘who to vote for’ quiz. It doesn’t inform me properly end of. It’s up to me to find that information then isn’t it but is it? Isn’t it a duty to the people from government to make it easy to find necessary information to make an informed choice? I’m someone who loses interest in politics easily because I don’t have a lot of faith anymore in the people you hear about, there is a lot of finger pointing, big egos, and all I can think is really? These are the people that think they earn my vote? These are the people who run a country? Really? I should vote because I don’t want those people to run the country but I have no clue who to vote for and there you have it. I’m lost somewhere in the middle not far right and not far left but in the middle… I think it’s a busy place over there.
I am sad because I do care and I want to vote but I am too lost and I am not sure how to find my way again. It takes time to read up on the parties and frankly (this is a very sad thing to say) my time is too precious which I know sounds ridiculous but it is how I feel. I know but it is what happends when I see a vote quiz, think yay, start the quiz, my heart sinks when I see questions that are not complete, my interest is lost. But I have a life as do most people. I don’t have time or want to to spend hours and hours trying to find objective information about who to vote for. After a little while I try again, finding a few websites written by papers… hang on… papers aren’t often objective are they (is media in general these days ever objective)? They should be but aren’t. Can I trust it? Can I trust the websites the parties wrote? Can I trust the parties, will they do what they say they’ll do even though the past has shown that people lie to get where they want to be? Trust is not there anymore…
I’m aware that this all might sound as excuses to not vote, maybe it sounds as if I am a lazy git. But I genuinely don’t want to vote for parties I don’t trust. There are a few people I like but when I look at the whole party I’m not sure if I like what I see, I am not sure if I vote for that person the whole party will support that person and do what they told me they would do, I am not sure if parties have the interest of people and country really at heart. Egos are so big, where is kindness and where is maturity? You can’t run a country only with your mind you do need a heart too and vice versa. Where is the balance? It’s a big issue and it’s a big reason why I don’t vote (yet).
People tell me others fought hard for the right to vote and I should vote. Yes those amazing people did and I am very grateful for them but you forget… those fabulous people fought for the right to vote. It is still my right to make the choice to not vote. Am I happy about it? Of course not.
I live my life in a way I hope inspire others, I try to be the change I want to see in the world which is never easy but often necessary. At least that is something I and you can do for people and planet. Easy isn’t always the right way. I hope parties are going to do the same so one day I am able to vote and be happy about it, supporting my choice 90 to 100%. At the moment I am between 40 and 60% (which means 40 to 60% question marks) which to me isn’t enough to vote.
You might not agree and that’s absolutely fine, that’s your opinion and this is mine. I only want to give some insight why people might not vote, these are some of my reasons.
Blessed be Xx
Note: I only learned recently how to voice this after a conversation with a dear friend who I can talk to about anything without being judged (thank you). People are getting scared to voice their opinions about a lot of things which is a very sad thing. I can only hope people are becoming more aware of the reasons why people do the things they do instead of finger pointing. I hope people return to be human beings wanting to listen to others in a respectful way without judgement and wanting to help each other to make this beautiful place also a beautiful place to live for everyone.
It's time... 