Waking up the vote…

Some might see that headline as patronizing. But is it?  When was the last time you felt like you had some power in the political process? It was probably a long time ago, if ever.

But what if we all spent some time thinking, feeling and distilling our thoughts? If everyone stopped and gave some consideration to what they wanted from the world around them, not just their immediate lives, we would all benefit.

This is when we could all feel the power of real action because we will be awake to the knowledge that what we want and what we are getting are very different things. We could be awake to the possibility of getting what we want to happen. We would be awake to how our vote can address the change we need to make that happen.

We must all accept that the power is not held by politicians and corporations, and that the unethical and childish behavior we recognize in our “leaders” is not progressing our individual nor collective lives nor communities.

But how can you help wake up the vote?

START LOCAL: Give yourself some time to read up on your local politicians and institutions. Find out what your local taxes actually pay for and ask yourself if you managed the taxation budget, would you prioritise differently? You manage your own finances, so use your imagination. Housing, bills, transport etc all make up your budget at home. What do you prioritise there?

START A CONVERSATION: face to face conversations with friends, family and colleagues can be illuminating. Find out if they vote? You might inspire someone to wake up to the power in their vote. It might even kick start creative solutions that actually matter to all our lives.

BE REGISTERED TO VOTE: When you move house, have a family member hit voting age, or are having the conversations… check to make sure you and your community are registered to vote. Better to have the option than not on polling day!

Moz Bulbeck Reynolds

Campaign Coordinator