We’ve only had universal suffrage for a bit more than a century. A hundred years might sound like a long time, but from a historical perspective it’s a drop in the ocean.
It’s often emphasised that the 1918 electoral reform gave women the right to vote, but what we tend to forget was that it also included men. A vast number of men were sent out to World War I to fight for their country, a country that didn’t grant them the right to vote for government.
This changed after the war thanks to brave women and men who had campaigned for suffrage for more than a decade. Some even went to prison.
The right to vote is one of the most important building bricks in a democracy. Voting is our chance to influence how the country is run. Remember that if you refrain from voting, you actually increase the chances of “the other side” to win.
STANCE NEWS 