First time voter at the elections

Image by kagey_b via Flickr

Although I voted in the local elections last year, this will be my first time voting in the general elections. This small article will be about my opinions on the general election as a first time voter.

Currently, I am swaying between parties to vote for and different people keep trying to influence me. I have friends who are encouraging me to vote Tory or more liberal individuals suggesting I vote green. I have politicians and the media telling me that there is no point voting for anyone but Labour or Conservative because the other parties will never make it into power. Then there are sceptical middle-aged individuals who have seen enough of the political system to believe that whatever party they vote for, they are bound to mess it up anyway. This can make it very difficult to choose a party, despite investigating each party’s policy, I never fully agree with one party. Regardless, people keep telling me that parties are all the same and you can’t trust any of them. Nevertheless, they are the only government we have so we are going to have to trust them.

I have noticed that people complain about our political system, how unreliable politicians are and the way our country is run but they never do anything about it. I would not expect them to start protesting outside parliament or start up petitions, the easiest thing an individual can do is vote and make a difference.

Some people argue that there is no point because apparently the Conservatives are going to win but if everyone thought like that then they will. If everyone voted then I am sure the outcome would not be as set as many people believe it is. A big proportion of our country seem to have a negative attitude towards voting, consequently people do not bother to vote at all. This could be because they are not interested, do not trust politicians or simply cannot be bothered. However I do sense that many more people my age are more interested in our political system, which I think is fantastic.

Many politicians seem to target our age group because we are ‘the future of this country’ but I would like to think we are the present too. The liberal democrats in particular seem to appeal to many people my age because of their free higher education policy. However, I believe it is important to look past that policy designed to draw in the first time voters and make sure that we agree with the other policies too.

As a first time voter I want to ensure I am aware of all parties’ policies before I cast my vote. Many other voters I have spoken to who are not first time voters comment how enthusiastic and trusting I am in the political system and when I am older I will learn that political parties cannot be trusted. Perhaps this is true, but this is not going to stop me voting and the lack of trust in the political system should not stop others either. For we have a democracy and a chance to choose who and how we want our country run, so why do more people not use it? There are countries that lack freedom of speech and a democracy, so I believe people should start appreciate how lucky we are in our political system and vote.