I was going to write this post already two years ago when we had the parliamentary elections in Finland, but I never got around to doing it. But it's election time again here in Finland, this time it's the municipal elections, and that means constantly hearing people around me saying they aren't going to vote or that they're unsure. And honestly, knowing there's people who don't vote makes me quite angry. So, here's a few reasons why you should vote.

➤ You have the right to vote. Having the right to vote and having a say in society really is a privilege. There's millions of people around the world wishing they would even just once get to vote, meanwhile you're wasting dozens of opportunities for no real reason. Imagine if you wouldn't have the right to vote, you would probably not think that's okay. So why on earth aren't you voting?

 

➤ Someone fought for your right to vote. There's a time in history when the right to vote was restricted, and there are still today countries where it still is like that. The only reason you have the right today, is because someone at some point in history decided to fight for it. So if you can't find any other reason to vote, at least do it for all those brave people. 

 

➤ Your vote does count. It might feel like it doesn't matter, "my vote doesn't count anyway". But it absolutely does count. That one vote might be the only reason someone wins, or doesn't win the election. By voting for party/candidate A, you're taking one vote away from party/candidate B. And imagine if no one went to the polling station, only because they thought their vote doesn't count. The election could end absolutely horrendously. Which is still sometimes does, because so many people don't vote.

 

➤ You have the right to complain afterwards. You have absolutely no right to complain about the results or the decisions that are made if you haven't voted. If only the candidates you hate won, don't complain about it. You had your chance to do something, to support someone better, but you didn't. Don't complain then either.

 

➤ It affects your life. No matter what the election is, it still affects you and your life. It affects your parents, your siblings, your friends. It affects everyone who lives in your country. Vote for someone who promises things that are important for you. If you're a student, the parliamentary might make decisions about student loans - which affects you. If you're an elder, sick, poor, etc., or know anyone who's any of these - any bad decision can be made that affects these people, e.g. laws concerning financial support or health care. You have an opinion, so find someone who has the same thoughts as you and supports the same things. If that candidate does win, that's one vote less for any bad decisions that might be made. 

 

I'm fully aware that it might be hard to find the perfect candidate or even political party. It's even harder if you're not really interested in politics. Which I'm personally not, not at all. Finding the perfect candidate has been impossible for me, and it will most likely be for you too, because there's no one who has the exact same thoughts as you.

 

I've personally done a lot of research on parties and candidates (several days worth of it), I've done "quizzes" to find out which party and which candidate is the best for me, I've gone through all social media sites of the candidates I've been thinking about, I've read up on politics and important words I might come across, I've made sure to find someone who meets my criteria (e.g. I've always given my vote to a woman), etc. I've done all this and more before both of the elections I've been allowed to vote in. I've done all of this just to make sure I'm really voting for the right person. But there's no need to do all of this. Just find a quiz, answer the questions and vote for the person you have the most in common with. There's no right or wrong way to find a candidate. As long as you find one and vote.

 

Voting in elections is so incredibly important. It's so important to show society that you're interested, that you care about who leads the country/town,who has more power than a normal citizen, who makes decisions that affect everyone living in the area. And you do care about the decisions made concerning the municipal or country you live in, you don't want any bad decisions to be made, do you? And you should especially vote if you're young. You're going to be here longer than any of the older people. Don't let all the old people decide about your future. So, please, go vote. Please use this privilege you have. Do some research, find someone you like, go vote. It doesn't take much time from your day (but it can if you want it to).