Top 10: Reasons to Vote

by Apathy is Boring — March 31, 2010

1. Everyone knows “the youth never vote”

Everyone always assumes that the youth will be underrepresented in any given election. These statistics have quickly provided a new reason to stereotype younger generations as lazy. Every time you don’t vote in an election, you’re accepting the “lazy label” they’ve stuck on your forehead. 

2. If you don’t stand up for your values, who will?

If you look beneath the names of political parties you can find a whole list of important issues they support or don’t. Military funding? Homosexual rights? Free healthcare? All of these issues are addressed in a party’s platform and voting is a way to support your own personal views on a larger scale.

3. Peer pressure

Is voting important to you? What about your friends? Chances are if on voting day you tell your friends you’re setting some time aside to go vote, they might just do it, too. Your decision to not vote could be influencing others to do the same.

4. Master the art of conversation

People are always talking about the latest episode of that teen drama or reality television show gone array. Why not be the one to bring up some information that has a shelf value of more than a week? What if someone asks you about voting in a past election? It’s always a conversation killer to say you didn’t.

5. We don’t even have to be registered

Adding voting registration to a to-do list or trying to think about it after a long day of work just isn’t practical sometimes, but in Canada, we don’t even have to. In Federal Elections you can show up and register on the spot. A procrastinator’s dream.

6. To support democracy

Our system of government relies on people voting and democracy doesn’t work unless you vote. People are still oppressed by governments around the world and not voting shows you don’t appreciate the choice your government is giving you.

7. It could save you money

Different parties support different social services and if you don’t vote it could result in money directly out of your pocket. Funding for education, healthcare and so many other services are right in the hands of the politicians you can choose or choose not to elect.

8. Every vote gets more chairs for the party of your choice

Discouraged because you don’t think your party will ever win? Even if they don’t win you get the chance to win more seats for your party. Having more seats means more complaints every time the party in power tries to pass something that your party doesn’t agree with. Elect people to complain for you.

9. Voting really does affect everything

The quality of our food? The price of our gas? The future of our water supply? So many little things are determined by our government, it just doesn’t make sense to leave the power in someone else’s hands.

10. Can you really think of anything better to do?

There are very few things that could really be a good excuse for not going to vote (employers even have to give you time off to go vote). Can you justify not voting by taking a nap or playing a video game? Would you much rather be lurking friends on Facebook?