Why we vote ?

With the fall of dictatorships after WWII, the world clearly mandated in favour of democracy, and with democracy, people became the sovereign (at least in letter if not entirely in spirit). In a healthy and functional democracy, the people are served what the people choose, and the onus of keeping the wheels running is on the people.

This choice of the people manifests itself in various ways, the most prominent of which are the general elections where a country's citizens cast their vote. Like a glorified report card, these votes show the government how well it performed and decide the fate of the country's governance until the next general elections. With this, it might be safe to assume that voting is a fundamental duty of every citizen. For all theoretical purposes, it is. But talking practically, one might wonder is it really all that important? Well, one has all the reason to wonder, for that is the charm of democratic thought and process - it fosters disruptive thought and leaves room for change.

Today, a couple of problems destroy the sanctity and importance of vote casting, let us observe

First given the sort of disillusionment the youth many a time face with the incumbent government, voting is often treated as a liability rather than a duty fulfilled off one's own volition. In 2014, the elections in France only saw an outcome of around 27%. The reason - well simply put disinterest. An idea that their vote doesn't matter seeps so deep into the psyche that the very lynchpin of democracy - vote - is rendered meaningless.

This very air of indifference then takes an objective turn. What difference does one vote make? It's not like elections are won by a margin of a couple of votes. When it's a matter of millions of votes, surely my not going to vote wouldn't make a lot of difference.

To brush aside these concerns would not be very productive, these, if not addressed within time, are bound to develop into a much deeper psychological malaise. Imagine the state of a democracy wherein the people don't vote and are in a state of complete disinterest. With the feedback loop broken what is stopping the democracy from turning into a tumultuous tyranny? 

The answer to both such concerns can stem from understanding why the vote (or rather any vote) matters. To see voting as merely an act of going to a polling station and casting your choice is not entirely correct. I feel voting encompasses a whole gamut of activities, debates, thought processes, arguments, observations etc. For every vote cast consciously, there's a citizen who is aware, capable of decision making and above all concerned about the nation and that's where the importance of voting comes into the scene. You might ask what importance does a vote make, well one vote might not look like a deal-breaker but every single conscientious citizen is. Voting, just for the namesake or for those Instagram pictures, is as irresponsible as not voting, because both indicate a disconnect of the voter (citizen) with the system. So if you ask, why we vote, the answer is not just because It's our sacred duty, the answer is because it makes us more receptive of the government and in-turn better resources for the country. Unless this latter is driven home, voting will never become a dynamic and active process involving logic and not moot rhetoric or herd mentality.

As we talk today, India the world's biggest democracy is in the process of having elections
. With the youngest demographics to boast, it is absolutely essential that the Indian youth vote both for national and local elections and do so consciously. Youth is characterized by vigour, and vigour is exactly what a young nation like India standing on the cusp of big breakthroughs needs. 

So do vote, your vote matters in much more ways than you think. Your vote might not make give a political party that one extra vote to make them win the elections, but it will surely make you a better asset to your country and that is something which every country needs