Getting to vote for the first time is one of the most exciting experiences for an eighteen year old. Mostly because it’s one of the privileges associated with being an adult and also because posting a selfie with the inked finger is the new trend. But very soon, this exciting privilege fades away and is reduced into an annoying responsibility. After the first few times, lesser and lesser people go out to vote. Moreover, the thought of standing in a line just to cast a single vote discourages most people to get out of their house. So, instead, they treat it as just another public holiday.
Whether it is student elections at universities or general elections to choose the government, the total voting percentage remains sadly low which go on to tell us that on an average, almost half of the registered voters don’t even cast their vote. We often find ourselves complaining about the authority and the way it functions but we shirk away from our duty to do anything about it. Casting a vote is the simplest way that you can elect a representative who can lead to a change from within a system. But if that vote is not cast, the status quo will remain and complaining about it would be of no good. What we forget is that the right to vote is one of our fundamental rights and we must exercise it at all costs.
- Often people refrain from voting because they thing that their single vote won’t make much difference but it is important to remember that every single vote counts. And it is through single votes that an election is won.
- Just because it is predicted that the group that you oppose is bound to win, you should still cast your vote. By casting your vote you exercise your right to choose your own representative even if they lose the election.
- When people don’t show up to vote in an election, often illegal votes are cast in their name in order to secure a victory for a particular candidate. Hence, just the simple act of casting your own vote endures that no one wins an election illegally.
- By casting a vote, you become a part of the electoral system and process. Failing to make your contribution to this system takes away your right to complain about it too. One cannot remove themselves from a system and then choose to complain about it too.
- India is the biggest democracy and that entails every citizen of the country to be a functioning part of the democratic process. Since a democracy is Of the people, For the people and By the people, voting becomes an indispensable part of the entire process.
We must remember at all times that voting is not only our right but our responsibility too. It is the duty of every citizen of the country to be an active part of the democracy that we boast ourselves to be. Until and unless we cast our vote, we lose the right to oppose those in power. Every single vote counts in building a strong hierarchy of authority where there is a healthy opposition and those in power are always kept accountable for their actions.
