What is happening on the 7th of May? Well if Gary Cooper and Evita Perón were both still alive it would be their respective birthdays, but if you are living in the UK then this is General Election day.
At the time of writing this article, the latest polls have Labour leading with 34%, closely in second place are the Conservatives with 32%. UKIP has 14%, Liberal Democrats 8%, Green 6% and Others on 6% as well. It is extremely close to predict who comes first but the real winner will be who can gain the support of UKIP and the Liberal Democrats.
So even if you come in second you could theoretically be the country's top dog. Confused? You're not the only one!
In the 2010 elections, 65.1% of the population that were eligible voted and in 2015 61.4%. There has been a steady decline in turnouts since the heyday in 1950 which was 83.6%. So why aren't more people voting?
We have the right to vote so why don't we, or is it because in a democracy we shouldn't be forced into doing anything we don't want to? The Suffragettes movement campaigned and even lost lives so women could get the right to vote, and yet not all women do so. It is our civic duty to go to the polls and with online voting being made more available the excuses are running out.
In many countries compulsory voting is still enforced with fines for those who do not vote. More drastically, if you're Bolivian and cannot show your proof of voting card after the election, your salary can be withheld; drastic, but true. Compulsory voting can be seen as bullying and many voters just vote to get it over and done with, in fear of the repercussions.
There are many opinions on why not to vote. If you don't like or believe in any of the candidates then why bother? The General Election is to be held on a Thursday which is a workday, would more people turn out if it was on a weekend? If you don't believe in the system then why show your support by turning up and marking that x?
The list for and against is endless with very good points on both sides of the question. This year's real winners will be UKIP, Liberal Democrats and the Greens who collectively are expected to have a 28% share of the votes cast. The Liberal Democrats were the reason why the Conservatives had most of the power in Whitehall last term, will it be UKIP's turn?
A famous Abraham Lincoln quote goes like this;
"Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters."
So how would you like your hands, with or without blisters?
