We’re going to the polls on July 2 in what the pundits are predicting will be a close call. Let’s hope that the disappointments of 2013 are not repeated.
After the 2013 election I read somewhere that an extra 30,000 votes for Labor – if those votes were distributed in the right place – would have seen them retain government. I don’t know if that is true or not, but what is true is that an estimated 1.22 million Australians who were eligible to vote, simply didn’t see the need to. Of these, 400,000 were young Australians who hadn’t bothered to enrol.
I find this disappointing, as we rest our hopes on the youth of Australia.
It is the youth of Australia who will face the horrid effects of climate change and a ravaged environment. It is the youth of Australia – more than any other cohort – who are demanding a world class internet. It is the youth of Australia who face an uncertain future because of rising unemployment and ever-increasing house prices. And it is the youth of Australia who may have better luck than we did in closing the offshore detention centres.
If we can encourage the youth to vote, it is fair to say that the people who didn’t vote in the 2013 election might very well determine the result in this year’s election.
This email from Labor (below) was sent to me yesterday. They urge young Australians to enrol and to have their say when it matters most: election day. It is worth sharing and worth spreading.
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Elections are decided by those who turn up.
While we may have compulsory voting in Australia, there are over 1.06 million Australians who are aren’t enrolled to vote. This includes nearly half of all eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds.
Last election, marginal seats like Capricornia were decided by just a few hundred votes. If all of these people enrolled, things could have been very different.
Can you make sure you and your family and friends are enrolled to vote today? www.aec.gov.au/enrol
Making sure everyone is enrolled could mean the difference between another three years of these out of touch Liberals or a Shorten Labor Government that puts people first.
That’s why we’re asking every single Labor supporter to make sure they’re enrolled to vote and, if you are, to make sure your friends are enrolled too. The rolls may close as soon as next weekend. Can you enrol to vote and share this link with your friends today? www.aec.gov.au/enrol
Voting is one of the most important things you’ll do this election – and enrolling yourself or enrolling a friend means you get to have your say. This could be the difference whether we elect a Labor Government that invests in our schools, or a Coalition Government that cuts Medicare.
Let’s ensure that everyone has their say on July 2.
Thanks for your support,
Paul Erickson
Director of Target Seats
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