It’s on you

Voters have few excuses not to know who their vote is going towards on Saturday

Polls for this year’s council elections close at 6pm Saturday after an intense and, at times, fiery campaign. Up to half of all voters have already cast their ballots for the candidates of their choice in the mayoral and divisional races.

But concerningly, many voters who the Bulletin spoke to this week had no idea who any of the candidates were, nor the issues they were standing on.

In fact, many of these young voters admitted they were donkey voting – the process of blind ticking one’s ballot paper – or simply picking a candidate at random to avoid getting a fine.

While many of these people were young and first-time voters, there’s still no excuse for not knowing or going in cold about any of the issues one is passionate about.

While so-called donkey voting has been a tradition since the dawn of politics as a form of protest, ignorance is disappointing to say the least.

Using one’s young age is hardly an excuse either.

Most candidates have social media presences or websites with details of their campaign manifestos. Elections matter and voting matters.

Decisions are made by those who turn up and take part in the process.

Local government may seem insignificant compared to either a state or federal government but it could not be further from the truth.

Council decisions impact on day-to-day life for every Gold Coaster, from rubbish collection and pothole repair all the way through to the big ticket items like the light rail extension or upgrade of the Home of the Arts (HOTA).

Those who go in blind and throw their vote away have absolutely zero right to complain or recourse to say they disagree with a decision made by the winner if they didn’t fulfil their social obligation of voting.

Nobody could credibly go into the polling booth saying they didn’t have the time to look up their local candidates or to even consider who they want to represent them for the next four years.

The 2024-28 term will be critical to the future of the Gold Coast.

Choose wisely.

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