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.