On Sunday the second round of the
French Presidential elections will take place, and if the voter turnout is anywhere
near as high as in the first round, or of that in the Presidential elections of
2007 – it won’t be a surprise to hear that the percentage of voters that
turnout to cast a vote will be up in the 80s.
80%! This is absolutely
extraordinary. You have only got to take a quick look at other European
countries to see that the turnout in France is really quite special.
Alternatively you could even just take a quick look at the UK elections in
2010, where you will see that voter turnout was at 66%. If you look at the
breakdown of that figure, you can see that it would have been a lot lower had
the over 50s and 60s not been out in force.
I often feel that I am quite
apathetic towards politics, but it is not that I do not care about what is
happening in the country. I do! It’s just that I often feel apathetic because I
consider that no matter who I vote for nothing really will change!
Britain seems to be entrenched in
a system of party politics, so in certain areas of the country it doesn't really matter who you want to vote for, as the MP from one particular party is
sure to dominate. This hardly incentivises people to make the effort! Well if it
does, it certainly doesn’t incentivise me! Yet I do not believe that I am alone
in this thinking, as Britain is also not the only country that struggles when
it comes to getting its younger generation to the ballot boxes.
In November in the States, the
Presidential candidates will be begging the country to come out and vote. In 2008
their voter turnout was just shy of 58% - even lower than ours, but what does
this really tell you? It tells you that almost half of the country didn’t vote,
and you have to wonder why? Is it apathy or is there a deeper cause?
I wonder if we have taken the
ability to vote for granted! As a woman I often feel guilty that over a century
ago I wouldn’t even been allowed to vote, and these days I sometimes choose not
to. I don’t think the Pankhurst’s would be particularly appreciative about my
apathy! Yet in my own defence I do always vote in general elections, but I can
honestly say that I did not vote in yesterday’s mayoral election in London!
In my opinion having the choice
to pick between either Ken Livingston or Boris Johnson (the only two candidates
with a chance of winning), was like been told to choose between the lesser of
two (unnecessary to my mind) evils. Given their campaign methods, shambles on
the radio – where they acted like children, and general nay saying of one
another, I simply could not be bothered to vote.
It also seemed to me that both
candidates during the election campaign were far more
interested in their own egos,
and in getting one over on the other, than really helping out the city. So I
honestly couldn't find a compelling reason to bother voting? I’m also not
entirely sure I know what the mayor does, or does for me – so perhaps I'm less
apathetic and more uneducated as to mayoral responsibilities. Yet I wonder if I
am alone?
In the last mayoral election only
45% of people voted. In this year’s mayoral election 38% voted. So what does
this tell us? It tells us that in both elections less than half of the city gave
a damn as to who our mayor was going to be or was! Given that this year is an
Olympic year, an Olympic year in which the Olympics are in London, I find
myself wondering how mayoral candidates are ever going to make the voters care
enough to vote? If they can’t motivate us enough to take an interest this year,
I highly doubt that there is a year in which they can!
Over the weekend and at the start
of next week, a lot will be made of the elections and the fact that a number of
councils have swung in favour of labour. Yet I wonder how much attention will
be paid to the voter turnout!
Swings are important – well for
politicians, and obviously if you discount genuine concerns like starvation,
genocide, and a multitude of other worldwide problems. Yet they hardly focus on
the bigger issue which is more and more people are becoming apathetic towards
politics in this country!
Now back to France, the French
obviously do not share the same level of apathy as us and I don’t think that it
can be put down purely to the fact that theirs is a presidential race. I say
this having already alluded to the fact that the American Presidential race in
November is highly unlikely to see a voter turnout up in the 80s. So could it,
I wonder, have something to do with their culture or the fact that they hold
the elections on a Sunday? Or that they have two rounds of elections, which
allows them to narrow the field for the future President?
It is hard to say, and I know
that there has been much debate over his subject. Yet perhaps there needs to be
even more. If Britain and other countries are already reliant on the older
generations to vote, in my opinion this leads to two worrying concerns.
One; Politician’s policies are
going to try and be vote wining (this is clearly stating the obvious), but if
it is only the older generations that bother to vote, then the policy promises will
be directed at them. This is not only going to be detrimental to the younger
generations, but I also feel that it is
sure to make them more apathetic – if possible!
Two, the younger generation are
(whether apathetic or not) the future! If they don’t vote now and are given no
incentives (i.e. policy promises), or reason to vote, then one day you have to
wonder how low voter turnout might be. So, perhaps we should consider more
closely why the French manage to appeal to nearly 80% of their population who
are eligible to vote and we managed only 38%!
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