Let’s face it: voting may not be the sexiest part of your to-do list. It’s not like a festival summer, not even the first episode of the new season of Temptation Island, and it doesn’t involve any glitter or free bags (okay, sometimes). But you know what’s really hot? People who know what they want and do something about it. Thus: hot people vote.
If you don’t vote, someone else surely will. That someone doesn’t necessarily think about what’s best for students – no cheaper lunches, smoother public transport, or rentals. That someone may not know what a student’s day-to-day life really feels – like how to survive with four euros in a grocery store, or what it feels like to wait five days for a laundry shift because someone decided to just wash socks all night. He may imagine that students still live on noodles and energy drinks and that our biggest dream is a flat with a dishwasher, a working shower and a neighbor who doesn’t play bass at four in the morning. We know better. We want more and that is why we also need to vote.
But what difference does one voice make?
Let’s say you’re at a party. The DJ asks which song to play next, and your vote decides between the two options. Okay, maybe it’s not always this dramatic, but in elections it can actually go that way. In several elections individual votes have decided seats – your vote may be the one that knocks down or saves the whole game. Especially in municipal elections, every single vote counts. As a personal proof: in my first municipal elections, me getting elected was decided by two votes.
We students live in an era where we have the opportunity to influence our future more than ever. We have Google, Wikipedia and meme campaigns that explain the electoral system better than school books. Is voting always easy? Not necessarily. Are you experiencing frustration? Most likely. But don’t think for a moment about whether your vote matters.
How to:
- Decide on your own candidate – is it someone who knows what a student’s everyday life really looks like?
- Use voting as an excuse to dress up nicely (voting selfie = new Insta trend).
- Bring a friend along and make it a mini-adventure. Coffee after voting tastes better – science may not prove it, but we stand by this.
- Finally, you deserve a future where your voice is heard. It starts with letting it be heard where it matters most – in the voting booth.
Where does voting take place?
- On election day, you can only vote at your polling station.
- Check your polling station on the election authority’s website or on the right-of-voting notice.
How does voting work?
1. Bring your ID (passport, ID card or driver’s license).
2. Go to the right polling station on Election Day between 9 AM and 8 PM.
3. Vote and make sure your opinion is heard!
And remember: hot people vote.