How Will You Use Your Vote?

For most young people in Merton, this year will be the very first time they get to vote in the General Election. As the looming day for the Election approaches us (May 6th if you didn’t already know) the issue on most young people’s minds is ‘Who am I going to vote for?’ but for some, they may be thinking ‘Should I vote at all?’ These big questions are at the forefront of all our minds (that is if you are eligible to vote and actually interested in politics).

The coming election is said to be one of the most important and decisive elections for years, but some people may be unwilling to vote because of the ongoing economic crisis that has struck Parliament and our government or simply because they don’t understand a lot about politics. Most people feel turned off by old party politics especially the younger generation, and some do not even feel comforted by the word ‘politics’ but should that stop people from voting?

As a politics student myself, this election certainly has a different feel to it. One issue that has countlessly been attacked is ‘Change for Britain’ but what does that actually mean? Well this year’s election hopes to do something different. Some promises that regularly come up is that the government will try to fix up the mess that has be thrown our way, the MP’s expenses scandal, the recession and generally fixing a broken Britain.

At my school, the Ursuline located in Wimbledon, we are holding our very own mock election this month, which will hopefully get the younger students interested in the politics that is surrounding us. Several candidates from across the year groups are representing some of the major parties in the UK. Representatives of each party will be making speeches in this week’s assemblies and students will get the chance to vote at a polling booth and make their decision. This will then be followed by results via video link later on during the day.

If most of this has gone way past your knowledge, then think of this. Can a vote make a difference? Yes, yours can. Your vote is your chance to voice your own opinion and be heard. Even if you are not interested in politics, government decisions will affect you whether you no matter how old you are. Your job may depend on the decisions made by the government. Education, the standards of teaching and discipline will be affected by decisions made by the government. Crime, tackling knife crime and getting more police on the street will be affected by decisions made by government. All of this makes a difference in our lives.

However, responsibility is beyond government and change for our country can be done by each and every one of us. Your voice matters, your first vote matters, so use it. This is your country, your future so assert your rights and vote and build the future that you want.