It’s very easy to lose interest in politics, or to avoid ever taking an interest at all. If you are anything like me, politics is just about the last thing on your mind.
Maybe it’s that you think all politicians are corrupt and money hungry. Or maybe you think that your vote can’t make a difference, as you are after all only one person and who really cares what you have to say?
You’re not alone in this stance, although it has to be said that there is more to voting than meets the eye, and certainly more that it can do for you than you think.
You’ve probably heard that your vote can make a change, that your opinion matters, and that voting is so important. But how many people actually believe that? In a country of millions, can one person’s vote really make a change? Why even vote?
I have never voted before, as I have never been of the age where I could. This year will be my first chance and up until recently, I was unfazed, wondering if I would even vote at all. Politics just never interested me, I never understood it and when I did bother to get information about it, I only ended up getting frustrated because they weren’t doing things the way I wanted.
But how can I expect my government to serve me properly and account for my interests, if I don’t express them by voting?
You may think that your opinion is just one of many and not enough to make a difference if you do vote. And perhaps to some extent you may be right. If you are voting for a minority party, it is true that your one vote is not likely to catapult them into power.
However, if more people have the courage to vote for these minorities, it takes the leading parties out of a position of dominance. It forces them to consider the policies and stances of the minorities, in order to ensure that they stay in power. Your vote may not bring on a change in government, but it will certainly get your concerns and ideas noted as they will be expressed through your chosen party.
Voting is also a sign of coming of age and can give you a sense of independence. As you are now officially an adult in all other senses of the word, why shouldn’t your opinion be considered important? And why wouldn’t you let it be?
If we all decided not to vote, democracy as it stands would cease to exist. The outcome of an election is made up entirely of all those supposedly insignificant one person votes, and these votes result in a government that is as representative of the needs and wants of the average New Zealander as it is able to be.
It would have to be a very perfect world if we all had complete faith in the government and agreed with everything it did. But how can we complain about what they choose to do or what kind of party gets into power, if we don’t exercise our ability to affect it?
A party may be on the brink of getting into power, and if just a few more people choose to vote, this could actually swing the election in a different way. It’s not impossible. You may not think that your vote has any chance of making a difference, but it has even less of a chance if you don’t cast it at all.
It is vital that we as a country have a government which reflects our needs, and caters to what the majority of people want. So make it known these elections what it is that you want for your country, and although you may or may not get it, New Zealand will be one step closer to becoming the country you want it to be.
Your opinion actually does matter. Make sure you allow it to be considered.
It’s very easy to lose interest in politics, or to avoid ever taking an interest at all. If you are anything like me, politics is just about the last thing on your mind. 
But how can I expect my government to serve me properly and account for my interests, if I don’t express them by voting? 
It would have to be a very perfect world if we all had complete faith in the government and agreed with everything it did. But how can we complain about what they choose to do or what kind of party gets into power, if we don’t exercise our ability to affect it?