Why every vote matters

Nidhi Sinha of #WeStandTogether explains why it is important everyone exercises their right to vote on December 12

There is another General Election coming up on December 12, and it’s time for us to think about who we will back at that election.

But a lot of us also won’t vote at all, and it’s easy to see why not.

I have often felt that my voice didn’t matter and that my vote didn’t really count.

After all, what’s one vote in the thousands in each constituency?

But when you take a step back and look at the votes after they’ve been counted, often the winning party got less votes than the people who didn’t vote at all and, if they had, it could have completely changed the result.

So why don’t we vote?

Many people live in so-called ‘safe seats’ where the winner seems to have been pretty much decided before the race begins.

However, in recent years we have seen plenty of upheavals and changes that weren’t expected.

Even where a candidate doesn’t lose their seat, if their opposition gets more votes than in previous years, the MP should think twice about their actions and behaviour and why votes have gone away from them.

They might not have lost the election this time but they may have to compromise or do something differently to make sure they don’t lose it next time.

The reverse can also, of course, be true. You may like your MP and you think you don’t need to vote because they are safe.

Showing your support by giving them your vote may mean they win by a larger margin.

They can then be more confident in their convictions and move forward the agenda you agree with.

Many of us don’t vote because we don’t feel like it actually makes any difference who is our MP, or that all the candidates are terrible, or that the system is broken.

Some make their voice heard by spoiling their ballot.

This is interesting because the number of spoilt ballots is counted.

The candidates can all see just how many people were so unhappy with the whole system that they spoilt their ballot rather than even voting tactically.

As a British Indian, I am watching as India’s democracy stumbles forward, 70 years old in January and slowly flourishing with the hopes of people who believe real change is possible.

At the same time I see Britain with its centuries-old democracy despairing at the way things have become set and stagnant, feeling like there is no room for change.

We should keep caring about our democracy. It is a social project.

It is how we engage with one another on a national level to see all sides of the issues that our country faces and listen to one another to work out the compromises between all the varied and colourful parts of our society who, by the very nature of our modern cosmopolitan Britain, will never all see eye-to-eye on every issue.

So many voices are not heard at all simply because they don’t think that voting is important but every vote forms a part of the picture for the policy-makers who shape our laws and our social systems.

Whilst those voices stay silent, the picture will not change. Alone your one vote is very unlikely to change the course of an election, but together our voices can be heard for miles.

Nidhi Sinha is a trustee of #WeStandTogether

#WeStandTogether is the Greater Manchester Combined Authority brand for cohesion initiatives.

#WeStandTogether will be holding two General Election Hustings for the Cheadle and Withington constituencies, with partners, next week.

For details see https://twitter.com/WeStandTogether

You can contact #WeStandTogether on twitter @WeStandTogether, facebook @WeStandTogetherBritain or by email on support@westandtogether.org.uk.