What does the election mean for you?
With a month to go until the General election, and nothing separating the Conservatives and Labour in current polls, the party leaders are top news at the minute. But how important is the election to you?
A lot has been made of young people and their perceived lack of interest in politics in mainstream media, but is that a fair reflection or is it simply a sweeping statement that doesn’t ring true. The voter turnout for the last general election back in 2010 was 65.1% of the people eligible to vote, whereas in people aged 18-25 only 51.2% voted in 2010. The figure has been consistently lower than other age groups according to the British Election Study, and there seems to be an opinion that young people are disenchanted with politics, which quite honestly is understandable.
If you watch a party political broadcast or a televised debate, a lot of the time it isn’t ‘entertaining’ so to speak, it’s not going to make you want to discuss political agenda’s all evening instead of Netflix, let’s be honest. The problem is that your vote does matter, and the fact that it may not be entertaining is almost irrelevant, you have a freedom to vote that other people in this world do not, that people have fought to keep, something that some people in the world would take from you, so it is important to use it. Even if you don’t feel like you’re making a difference, you are.
With just 7 days left to register to vote for the general election (the cut-off date is Monday 20th April), I have been searching for opinion on voting.
“I have never voted and I’m not voting this time. I don’t feel like politicians are representing what I want.” – Chester, 19.
“Voting is important but I can see why people don’t, it’s hard to be motivated.”
“I’m not going to vote...I haven't for years in all honesty. I think labour are the lesser of the evils and I guess I hope they get in.”
