Actions taken by individuals are important but – let’s be honest – the effect is tiny compared to the impact of actions taken by governments.
We urgently need strong environmental action from our governments, so use your vote to support national and local politicians who put the environment at the heart of their economic and international policies.
Why should I bother to vote?
Many of our current politicians do not seem to care about climate breakdown at all – their promises are as empty as their pockets are full. Voting can feel pointless, particularly if you live in an area that votes overwhelmingly in the opposite direction to you.
But it’s always worth voting.
- Even safe seats can be overturned, sometimes quite spectacularly
- Winning parties will be keeping a close eye on the policies and popularity of their rivals
- The incredibly close Brexit vote showed that literally, every vote counts
- For women, our right to vote is comparatively recent and hard-won, and we have a duty to the campaigners who fought for our rights – particularly as the overturning of Roe-vs-Wade in the US has shown how easily women’s rights can be taken away
- Our votes matter just as much in local elections, with the added benefit that you can often vote with your heart as well as your head and get a Green candidate elected
Don’t hold out for a perfect candidate – there isn’t one! Choose the one whose values and policies most closely match yours, because someone else is guaranteed to be voting for someone terrible, and at least your vote can cancel theirs out.
So, encourage everyone you know to use their vote – particularly younger people, who tend to be more progressive overall, but turn out to vote less than older people do. (The BBC states that in the UK 2015 general election, only 43% of 18-24-year-olds voted, compared with 78% of people aged 65 or over [1].)
Younger people’s failure to vote isn’t necessarily due to apathy. It could be because they aren’t sure how to register, or because they haven’t got the time to queue at a polling station while juggling work, children and/or study[2]. From 2023, it could also be because some younger people lack the forms of ID necessary to cast a vote in person. The rules on what ID is allowable discriminate against younger people, people who haven’t got passports or driving licences, and people who move addresses frequently, thereby giving an advantage to the party which is supported by more older voters (you know which party I mean).
How can I get more people to vote?
- Talk to people, particularly young people, about the importance of voting. Fight apathy with recent examples of supposedly safe seats being overturned
- Use your knowledge of the system, or your free time, to help people register to vote
- Use your free time to help them actually vote (e.g. driving them to the polling station or babysitting)
- Explain that there are new rules about voter ID from 2023, and ask them to make sure they have got the forms of ID necessary to cast a vote in person
- For busy people, help them arrange a postal vote.
Literally, everyone has time to vote by post - When people say all politicians are as bad as each other, list all the recent scandals you can find on the BBC news website in order of “badness”, and see which party comes up worse
- Volunteer to support your local Green Party candidate (or whichever candidate they are stepping aside for)
- Talk to your children about politics, sustainability and social justice
- While they can’t actually vote yet, young people can register to vote from the age of 16 in England, and from the age of 14 in Scotland and Wales. Encourage/help them to register early, so they are ready if they are old enough to vote when the next election is called (remember, elections can often be called at short notice)
How do I register to vote?
In the UK, you can register to vote here.
When you’ve registered to vote, you can request a postal vote here.
Anyone can have a postal vote and you don’t need to give a reason.
In the US, you can find out how to register here:
Find out how to register (scroll down to the “States With Online Voter Registration” table)
Find out if you’re already registered.
And if you are a US citizen abroad, find out how to vote from overseas here. Please use your vote because the rest of the world really cares who’s in charge in the US, but has no influence over it!
Can I get a postal vote?
The short answer is YES – anyone who is registered to vote in the UK can get a postal vote, and you don’t have to give a reason.
Postal votes are great if you’re short of time, forgetful, or just don’t like queuing. It means last-minute problems can’t prevent you from casting your vote. And it’s super-useful for people who work full time, have kids to put to bed, have to prepare dinner, have limited mobility, have evening classes to attend, feel vulnerable walking at night, or just don’t like queuing in the rain… which is just about everyone.
I’ll say it again – in the UK, anyone who’s registered to vote can request a postal vote here. You don’t need to give a reason.
So the steps are:
- Start early
- If you plan to vote in person, make sure you have one of the accepted forms of voter ID
- Register to vote here
- When you’ve registered to vote, request a postal vote here
- Use your vote
In the US, some states automatically send mail-in ballots to everyone who’s registered to vote, but in other states, you have to request them. Find out what your state’s rules are here (scroll down to the “States With Online Voter Registration” table).
References:
[1] BBC News. (2020). Election 2017: If more young people actually voted, would it change everything? [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39965925 [Accessed 8 Mar. 2020].
[2] BBC News. (2020). Why don’t more young people vote? [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51763333 [Accessed 8 Mar. 2020].
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