Why vote?

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Hello (:

Look at me getting all topical and political. Let's be serious for a moment though. Voting might not seem like a big deal to you. Putting a cross on a ballot paper and hoping you get the outcome you want might not seem like you've had your say or have changed anything. But, you have and you need to take advantage of the fact that in the UK we all have the right to vote.

This will be the second time I have voted. The first time I voted, I was eighteen and had no bloody clue who to vote for or what to do at the polling station. My mum marched me up to my old primary school (where our polling station was that year) and told me who to vote for. All I knew at the time was that my family didn't back the Conservatives and that I probably shouldn't vote for the British National Party.

So, I did as I was told. The outcome wasn't in my favour. To say I thought I'd wasted my time and effort was an understatement. But my mum had hammered it home that women had died so I had the right to vote, so I ought to.

I understand why young people don't vote. I don't feel like some stuffy Eton educated forty-something man is in any way relatable. I don't feel like there is anyone in Parliament who represents me, a twenty-three year old woman, university educated, but my school and college's were far from private, surviving on minimum wage in a job I don't enjoy.

So, read up. Research each party's manifestos. Vote for what you believe in. But, do take these promises and claims with a pinch of salt. Things won't change over night. Just because you voted for X party, it doesn't mean there will suddenly be an influx of jobs, university fees will be lowered (or even abolished) or that the minimum wage will be increased. I know at the last election, a lot of my pals voted for the Lib Dems because good old Nick Clegg had promised to rid the country of tuition fees. Then he teamed up with the Conservatives and fees were tripled.

Register to vote, read up on policies, educate yourself. Vote because in this country we have democracy and so we have the privilege to have a say in who leads.

My friend made a good point at the weekend. She said she wasn't sure who to vote for, but if she didn't vote at all she didn't feel like she could complain further down the line when things weren't in her favour.

You can register to vote here, today is the last day you can, so please do it. Whether you've never voted before, or have, make sure you get to have your say this year.