Voting is one of the greatest privileges that any democratic country can have. Voting gives a person the ability to make known his/her opinions and choices. Voting is one’s voice and thus during elections, we should let out what we have. Voting is a vital exercise that requires the participation of everyone. Through voting, we are able to choose the leaders we want. Voting is also the most effective way of communication to the public. Government officials will be able to know the stand of the members of the public on the set laws and regulations through voting. Government officials influence a lot in the lives of the members of the public. Without voting, one will have to sit back and accept the decisions set to govern lives. This paper is to examine who, when and what is involved in voting. It also takes into consideration the politics involved in voting.
Further to that, politics plays a key role in the day-to-day activities of the members of the state. The existing government controls every aspect of an individual’s activity. The way we eat, the food we take, the leisure activities we ventures in, sports and even music. Politics also sets the hygiene standards of hotels and restaurants. It controls the use of additives, preservatives, and colouring in food. In the entertainment sector, politics affects the licences for music festivals, the prices of CDs, and the volume of music played. With this, we can note that voting is essential in any democratic state (Karen, 2000).
There are several reasons as to why we should vote. First, voting enable the members of the state to choose their government.
This is the greatest advantage of voting. Voting allows individuals to choose the people they would like to represent them and govern them. The winning party is always the governing party, so members of the state have a choice on the leaders they want.
Secondly voting assists individuals in investing in a better future. The government is responsible for drafting and implementing policies for the better of the public. The policy makers make the decisions that determine the lifestyles of the members of the public. Therefore, we can set the type of lifestyle we want to have and decide on the success of careers through voting. In this case, we need to better people who can take wiser decisions and make the lifestyles better.
Another reason why we should vote is that it is a hard-earned privilege. In the olden days, there was no voting. There were different governments like despotism, dictatorship, autocrats and many others. Each government had its own form of ruling denying its members a voice. People had to work tirelessly and even shed blood, to get the right to vote. The struggle faced in striving for these gives one the courage to speak out through voting. The right to vote is an individual’s right to expression and opinion and should not be taken for granted.
Another importance of voting is that voting creates a sense of responsibility in the chosen leaders. A leader develops a sense of uprightness after voting him/her into power. However, this does not apply to all the leaders. The leader gets the urge to use the administrative power assigned to him for the benefit of his people. He has a task to perform his duties professionally and with dedication (Karen, 2000).
Voting promotes fast development of a given state. It is hard for countries that do not exercise voting to set themselves on the path of progress. Members of the public often lack faith in the policies set. There is also no transparency in such a country. In developing countries, for example, there are so many problems that the country faces. These countries face challenges in different aspects of life. Unless such countries exercise voting, key structured objectives and targets are hard to attain. Voting helps in cubing the vices that are an obstacle in the growth rate of the country.
In summary, we can say that voting is a way one can voice his/her opinion in a democracy. It gives one an opportunity to select leaders and make them accountable of for development. At times, we may not always choose the best leaders. This should not be a reason to refrain from voting. We must always endeavour to vote leaders for the well-being of the nation. We must also make the already existing ones be on toes to accomplish tasks for which we appointed them to perform. The future of any given nation depends on the policies set by the leaders. The future of the nation is the lives of the children. For them to have a bright future, we should exercise voting. In short, voting is one fundamental exercise but essential in development of a health democratic nation.
