Whatever you do in this General Election – Please vote!

This was one the queues in South Africa in 1994 when people waited hours to cast their vote in the first election in that Country that many were legally allowed to vote in.

As Lord Mayor I am following the conventions of not being involved in the General Election. Lord Mayor’s must represent everyone, and they cannot be partisan. I try and chair meetings in a neutral mode ensuring that all can speak and that all are listened to. However, what I can do is to encourage everyone to vote. When I was first a councillor in Liverpool in the 70s the average turnout was more than 60%.

Now in most local elections the turnout is less than 30% with a drop is some wards to around 10%. In General Elections the turnout was around 80% across the country, now, whilst being consistently higher than for local elections the average is much lower with some constituencies struggling to beat 50%.

As someone, who in most years is out door knocking and delivering, I find that absolutely frustrating. Against a barrage of cynicism directed at many councillors and MPs, I know that most people do enter politics to try to make a difference for the people we aim to represent. Most of the most virulent nay-sayers against those who are elected are often people who have made no attempt do anything either by standing in elections or by continued support for communities in any way, shape or form.

I know that many of you will not have your door knocked on during this election unless you are in a target seat of one of the political parties. There are no longer really national campaigns. The election result will be decided effectively in about one third of the constituencies where there could be change. Regrettably, too view councillors and MPs then go on the knocker in their Constituency or Ward after the election either.

But being an elected representative in this social media age is not easy. Uninformed tittle-tattle permeates social media too easily and converts gossip and innuendo into fact and anger. This prevents many people from standing for election and many leave because they can no longer put up with such abuse which puts strain on them and their families.

But there are big issues at stake in this election. The future of the Country for the next 15 years or so will be decided on July 4^th as it was in 1987 and 2010. Big decisions will be taken by the incoming Government which will affect levels of taxation, health services, education, the environment, foreign policy, immigration and so many more things. Decisions will be made that will affect you and your children and their children.

So, if you can’t be bothered to find will you be one of those who afterwards claim that you did vote and complain about what is happening. The whole point of democracy is that there is a reasonably fair system of winners and losers. Your person will not necessarily get in but the fact that you will have voted for them will give those representatives of your Party who are elected a greater moral authority in the corridors of power.

I’ve stood and watched people who waited for hours to go and vote. In places like South Africa, despite its current problems,’ people value the vote because for generations it was denied to them. Every adult has been able to vote from the mid-20s at the age of 21 with the voting age being brought down to 18 in the 70s. As the ability to vote has increased with postal and proxy votes becoming more common the turnout has gone down.

So please go and vote. You have until 19^th June to get a postal vote and, if you are online or know someone who is on line it could not be easier. Simply log on to the link below:

Before you start you will need the following to apply online:

• the address where you are registered to vote
• your National Insurance number or other identity documents, for example a passport
• the specific date of the election or referendum you want to make a postal vote, if you only want a one-off postal vote
• a photo of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper

If you cannot provide a signature or one that always looks the same, you may be able to apply for a postal vote signature waiver within the service. You might be asked for extra documents to identify you.

Apply online for a postal vote on GOV.UK

How you vote is up to you. But for all of us voting should be a priority. Having your voice heard and deciding the future of your country through a democratic process is something that is being denied to the people of Ukraine, Myanmar, and many other Countries. Although I believe that our voting system does not fully represent the views of the electorate because of our adherence to a First Past the Post system, it is still reasonably fair, the votes are counted honestly and we can all, within reason, state our views.

If other people are literally dying to get the rights that too many in the UK take for granted it would be a great pity if the vote is not maximised in this crucial election for us all.