To vote or not to, that’s the question

Saturday February 3 marks the last day of the general voter registration, which began on January 5.

Registering to vote is the first step to the ultimate decision to vote later in this year. Some people however, have had to deal with the daunting question of whether to register to vote or not. While most people want change, many are not willing and ready to take part in making the change a reality. It is easy to blame the next person or something, rather than taking the responsibility to do something about the status quo.

Voting in a general election gives the voter a sense that they have a voice, but in an election with thousands of voters, the probability that your vote will change the outcome is insignificant.

This is why “rational” voters begin to count the losses. They realise that the anticipated gain is minimal and not worth the cost; the time spent deciding who to vote for, getting to the polls, enduring long queues on election day and enduring the heat, among others. After careful consideration, the most “rational” option for them is to abstain from the polls.

Besides, electoral promises are meaningless to most people because politicians are able to lie to gain the favour of the electorate, and then do exactly what they want once they have it. Then there is no recourse, other than waiting another five years to vote them out and replace them with someone else who will follow the established template and do the exact same thing.

This is why so many people, especially young people cannot care less about casting their vote. They are just not interested. Many believe that if they do not have jobs, why should they create jobs for Councilors and Members of Parliament. The unfortunate thing is that whether you vote or not someone else will vote someone into that political office, and where does that leave you.

Some people on the other hand do not vote because of lack of knowledge. They do not understand enough about political parties’ policies and manifestos nor do they understand the electoral process. In fact, the 2022 National Study on Voter Apathy recommended that there should be an inclusion of studies of democracy, elections and citizenship in curriculum at lower levels of the education system to sensitise and assist children at a tender age to have a better grasp and understanding of the political landscape, as well as the importance of voting and taking part in political activities.

In addition, the study also recommended that the mandate of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) should be expanded to cover voter and civic education, campaign financing and constituency delimitation. This means that the IEC must be given more resources to improve voter and civic education which are of critical importance to ensuring that eligible voters appreciate the importance of registering and voting. This should be a continuous exercise as opposed to the current situation whereby the exercise is carried out on the eve of elections.