Becky Jones, a Girlguiding LaSER Champions from Girlguiding London South East County shares with us why she will be voting in her first general election and why you should too!
Why voting is important
It is important to vote as the winning political party will be the ones who are in charge of the country for four years. When they are in charge they will have the ability to alter current laws as well as decide on new ones that can change situations, for example; the voting age being lowered to 16 allowing younger individuals to have a voice, the future of the NHS, university fees and more recently Brexit negotiations.
Why I’m voting
I voted in the EU Referendum last June, as well as for Mayor of London, but this will be the first general election that I have voted in. Personally, I feel that it is important to vote as historically the suffragettes took active measures to get their voices heard and that the decisions made in parliament will have a knock-on effect that can shape my future.
In terms of voting once you’re registered all you have to do is turn up to the polling station and vote. It takes five minutes out of your day but you’ll be making your voice heard and helping shape the future for both yourself and others.
Why research political parties
Once you are registered to vote it is important to know who are voting for as well as what their political party stand for. To help find out this information you can look at the different party manifestos, political party websites as well as overviews of what the political parties stand for.
Whoever you vote for, the most important thing is to vote and get your voice heard!
Becky Jones,
Girlguiding LaSER Champion
Registering to vote and applying for a postal vote are now closed, however if you are going to be away from home or a student you can still apply to vote by proxy, read more here. You can also still download the adaptable Mini Use Your Voice 2016 resource to help inform and equip your unit about the different ways they can get their voices' heard.