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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is a crap excuse not to vote

62 replies

Hairydontcare · 14/05/2017 18:02

FB. A suffragette type picture is posted, lots of "women died for your right to vote." Then my friend has posted "I'm not voting, it doesn't make any difference round here, I'm not interested and they died for my right NOT to vote."

AIBU to think this is horseshit?

OP posts:
monsterhunter · 14/05/2017 19:14

If it genuinely doesn't make a difference in the local area due to being a super safe seat then I think it's a fair enough excuse. I live in one of the safest labour seats in the country and my vote will never make a difference. I will vote just because it's easy to do so, but I usually vote for one of the interesting independent candidates who also has no chance of winning, but I like the idea of supporting them to stand and helping them get their deposit back. We have ten candidates in our constituency!

BigGrannyPants · 14/05/2017 19:14

This.

To think this is a crap excuse not to vote
Kpo58 · 14/05/2017 19:15

She is right that in many places unfortunately, if you aren't voting for the main party or two in a local area or the party that you would vote for isn't standing, then your vote doesn't count. Many boroughs it's a forgone conclusion on who will win which gives less incentive to vote.

MyBeautifulSquid · 14/05/2017 19:16

I find this idea that 'politics' is something that happens in a bubble, that we can choose whether or not to follow, like the music charts, or an obscure sport, is madness....
'Politics' is:
How much tax you pay
What rights you have access to
How your children will be educated
What support you will have if ill/disabled/the victim of crime/unemployed/
How affordable your housing options are...It effects everyone

THIS

So many people I know are all like...cba to vote because politics is "boring"

It makes me despair

PerpetualStudent · 14/05/2017 19:35

"It does effect everyone but unless the system is fixed people are not going to bother"

Boney I get that (and agree about the madness of the FPTP system) but using that as a reason to abstain from engaging in politics whatsoever is, as a PP said, horseshit. There are plenty of groups lobbying to bring in PR, which everyone is free to join support - whether by voting, lobbying, protesting, signing petitions or whatever - if you don't like it, change it!

BoneyBackJefferson · 14/05/2017 20:56

PerpetualStudent

I am in several groups that are pushing for PR and NOTA but many people do't see the point as the two main political parties won't change as there is nothing in it for them.

ginswinger · 14/05/2017 21:04

In the local elections, three of my local seats were won by Labour by a combined majority of 50 votes.
It really does matter!

cardibach · 14/05/2017 21:06

As BigGrannyPants sats, there are more people who don't than vote for any party. The 52% a previous poster attributed to Tories in her area will be 52% of those who voted. If all the non-voters chime in, who knows apwhat could happen...

BoneyBackJefferson · 14/05/2017 21:11

cardibach

I know. I posted it. I also posted that a huge amount of the country doesn't vote.

Gwenhwyfar · 14/05/2017 22:22

"Fair enough to have 'none of the above', but to have reopen nominations is just ridiculous. You'd never ever get a candidate everyone liked and so that box would always have some ticks in it. You can't forever be reopening nominations."

You'd only re-open nominations if that was the choice that 'won', not every time anyone ticks it!

Gwenhwyfar · 14/05/2017 22:25

"In the local elections, three of my local seats were won by Labour by a combined majority of 50 votes.
It really does matter!"

I know someone who missed out on a council seat by 1 vote. Obviously, such a small majority is unlikely in a General Election, but they are sometimes close enough to warrant a re-count.

Even in a safe seat, your vote counts as people will know how many votes a smaller party gets. If you support a party that cannot win in your area, your vote is still important to give your party credibility.

cariadlet · 14/05/2017 22:53

I find really frustrating when people can't be bothered to vote. I live in a very safe seat and know that my vote won't achieve anything, but always vote anyway.

People (Chartists, suffragettes) fought for centuries for ordinary men and women to have the right to vote. I feel that it would be letting them down to stay at home on election night.

There are still countries around the world that don't have free and fair elections. There are places where people are desperate to vote. And yet so many people in the UK just can't be bothered.

Our system and our politicians are far from perfect, but deciding not to vote won't help.

Twitchingdog · 14/05/2017 22:55

For those of you no voting
Why are posting your opinion on the Internet. You have formed them but don't want them listen too. So why are wasting your time writing them down .

ThisIsStartingToBoreMe · 14/05/2017 22:56

Personally, I would always vote because someone DID die so that I could vote and I feel it would be very disrespectful of me not to recognise that.

hibbledobble · 14/05/2017 23:19

Yanbu

If none of the options appeal then spoil your ballot. Not voting at all means that your demographic is neglected in policy making (look at the oaps, and how their good vote turnout has helped then: no one wants to lose the 'grey vote')

StickThatInYourPipe · 14/05/2017 23:22

To quote South Park Hmm'vote or die mother fucker' Grin

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 14/05/2017 23:45

Gwenhwyfar Yeah okay that makes sense Grin

Railgunner1 · 15/05/2017 07:43

Hate non-voters. That's why we have brexit shit and probably will end up with another Tory government

RufusTheRenegadeReindeer · 15/05/2017 07:53

rail

What if all the non voters voted tory?

FishInAWetSuitAndFlippers · 15/05/2017 08:07

All reasons not to vote are horseshit imho

No they arent.

I was in a refuge and couldn't have my name on the electoral register. Even the private register gives information to various companies and the council won't disclose which places can access it.

In order to vote I had to legally change my name to put it on the register, I got threatened with a fine if I didn't have a name on there.

There are plenty of survivors of abuse and people who don't want to be found that can't have their name on the register and therefore can't vote. That's not a horseshit reason.

blerp · 15/05/2017 08:11

YABU.

A person's vote is theirs to do with as they please, or it's not theirs.

The whole idea of other people needing an excuse sounds overbearing to be frank.

blackteasplease · 15/05/2017 08:12

I think everyone should vote. Even if it's to go alone and spoil your paper, e.g. by writing "none of the above" or whatever. If enough people do this it will be noticed, whereas people just not turning up is ignored.

Not because women died etc but because we all need to use our democratic right to vote.

TrollMummy · 15/05/2017 09:00

However there is a difference between the apathetic who can't be arsed to vote, and those who are very politically aware and involved but cannot bring themselves to support any candidate.

^
This

Personally I am totally disappointed and disillusioned with politics at the moment with the Brexit campaign being the lowest point. It's all lies and spin, let's tell the peasants what they want to hear and then hope they forget about it all afterwards. Millions for the NHS anyone, oh well no that's not actually trueHmm

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 15/05/2017 09:04

YABU

I agree that voting is a right, thankfully, but not an obligation. Women should have the right to vote. And the right not to vote.

hiddenmnetter · 15/05/2017 09:38

BigGranny

The FPTP system does effectively relegate a zero value to your vote if you live in a safe seat. I get why people can't be arsed to vote when they know their vote won't make a difference. Even if all those who didn't vote DID decide to vote, but continued to vote in line with predictable voting patterns you'd essentially see little difference. FPTP basically means that unless you live in a swing seat, your vote means very little, e.g.:

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/general-election-results-just-900-5682492.amp

If I lived in a swing seat I'd pay a darn site more attention than I do in a very safe labour seat. Unless there is some kind of cataclysmic landslide my MP isn't going anywhere. Her majority was approx 15k. Even if every UKIP vote now went to the tories, she would still have a majority of 6k. Presumably not everyone in my constituency is a lazy Tory and that the laziness is equally distributed; it would take a real earthquake for her to be shifted (not that I'm looking to I'm just making the point).

Thus, why vote? Unless there was some kind of local scandal and it actually looked like the MP could change I wouldn't expect people to bother. Come election time I get a few leaflets through the door for both but no-one will canvass and try and get our electorate excited about the election.

The tories aren't going to waste their efforts and money in our seat and labour don't want anything to change so won't rock the boat. Up until last election the only people who were looking for my vote were the greens and UKIP.