10 Reasons to Vote

Video Transcript

"Hello my name is Arielle Reid in Budapest Hungary and today I'm going to give you ten reasons why you should vote. Reason number ten is that democracy is a participatory sport. So if they're are no players, the game can't go on. Democracy as a system requires that people vote and participate in actively building the system, otherwise if nobody participates in the system, then democracy stops being democratic and becomes something of a tyranny or an oligarchy. And we wouldn't really want that now would we? Number nine, is that voting is a civic duty, no as members of a democratic society, in preserving that democratic society, it is your civic responsibility to vote. Number eight has to do with representation. Now, given that members of minority communities, women and other marginalized social group have fought really hard for the right to vote, it seems kind of silly to throw that opportunity out the window just 'cause. Number seven, every vote counts. Now, when people say that my vote doesn't matter or that such and such is going to win anyway, that's not necessarily true, there are countless historical examples of where the handful of votes have made the difference between victory and defeat for any given candidate. Number six, is every vote counts too two. Now, what many people don't know is that analysts get paid lots of money to look at the voting results when they come in. Every vote, every ballot, every thing is counted. So even if you spoil your ballot, by writing a message like I don't like any of the candidates, analysts which actually go through every single ballot and record the ones that were, "yes", record the ones that were, "no", and also record the ones that were spoiled, and record why they were spoiled. So if you want to make a statement about the candidates or the system itself, even in spoiling your ballot, you send a message to your elected officials. Number five is possible change versus status quo. Do you like the way things are? Vote for the way things are. Do you like things to change? Vote for change. Elections are one of the few times where citizens can either radically change the system or prevent radical changes from the system, to the system rather. Number four is that voting is a direct mode of political action. If you're not really sure how to get involved in your community, well voting gives you that opportunity. Number three, is that voting is easy to do. Voting doesn't take a lot of time. It doesn't take a lot of energy. In order to vote, most countries require that you register, and registration is sometimes done online. So from the comfort of your home, you can register to vote, and on voting day, go out to the polls and cast your ballot. In some countries, there are advanced polls, which means that if you can't make it out on polling day, you can vote in advance. You should check with your federal, municipal or provincial authorities to see whether your area has advanced polling. Number two, municipal, provincial and federal. Government works as a cohesive whole, so if you vote in the federal elections, but don't vote in your local or municipal elections, there's no guarantee that you'll have parties or politicians who agree with your vision of things or will work towards the goals that you want to see work towards. By voting in all levels of government, you ensure that your policy preferences, that your opinions and that your choices are reflected in all levels of government, leading to a cohesive whole. Finally, voting gives you an opportunity to balance powers. Now, if as in some countries, politics is dominated by two big parties or two big factions, and you're displeased with the situation, voting gives you an opportunity to balance that power. If you're in a political situation where politics is dominated by two parties or two factions or two of the general same faces floating around, what you can do is vote for a third option and totally and completely change the balance of power thus changing the face of politics."