Kate Hawkesby: I don't understand the people who don't vote

I went out in search of some democracy yesterday, trying to early vote.  

I looked up on the Vote NZ website where in my area had early voting places open and what time. I headed out on a walk confident I’d found the place but as I rocked up there, the lights were out; the first bad sign. Then I saw an actual sign on the ground, blown over in the wind, it said ‘no early voting here until October 9th’.  

So back to the website I went, determined to find a place. Turns out it couldn’t have been easier, the local Westfield mall had a huge polling station open, lots of bright orange signage and as it turns out, lots of people looking to early vote. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, they say about two thirds of us early vote usually, and they’re expecting more this time round. I think they were saying they're expecting about 80% of Kiwis to early vote this time.  

We stood in line behind a man in a suit who was talking to another man who’d not even registered to vote but wanted to. So he was in the special vote line, registering and enrolling on the spot so he could cast a vote. The man in the suit said to us he’d been waiting so long for this day and he was so excited to finally get to vote. He wasn’t even in his electorate, but you don’t need to be in your electorate, or even enrolled, or have your voting card on you, just turn up, they sort it. It’s too easy.  

So don't think you've got to wait for your vote card... you don't. After I did my ticking, it was my husband’s turn. He wasn’t going to vote early, he’s all about tradition and doing it on the day and he had fond memories of walking to the local church with the kids when they were old enough to vote, and us all voting together in a nice big family outing. But these days barely any of our voting age kids live in NZ, or even Auckland, so I reminded him his trip down memory lane while sweet, was not going to be recreated this time.  

As he went into the booth to cast his vote, a lady in the booth next to him popped her head up over the top and said to him, “Two ticks Chippy?” So shout out to her for being hilarious and making the experience even more fun.  

And I mean it when I say fun. I actually love voting. I love exercising our right to democracy, I love that we can, I never take it for granted. Every time I’m in the polling station I think of all the places where they can’t do this or can’t do it with any freedom or integrity anyway. I mean it might not always go your way, and you might not like the system, but at least you have the right to do it. Nothing's stopping you from doing it.   

I can’t understand people who say they don’t vote. It’s a right we fought for and are so lucky to have. It’s one of the few times you get to have a tangible real say in what you want for our country. We get to participate in democracy, we get to have our voice heard. It’s a privilege. I think it’s churlish to snub that privilege and just say you can’t be bothered, or you hate all politicians or there’s no point. There is a point. You get to do something many countries shed blood over, go to war over, but not here.  

The fact we get a voice, and get to have it heard, is something to be celebrated, and it’s something I will never take for granted. 

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