EARLIER this week, the voter registration period for 2020 drew to a close with the needle not quite making it to a million registrants, despite roughly three months of voter registration.
Hopefully, the coming year will bring with it more areas under MGCQ – or better yet, under no quarantine at all! – and with that, the return of satellite registration in those areas.
With more than 4 million potential registrants still out there, and voter registration for the 2022 National and Local Elections ending in September 2021, there remains a very real danger of unsafe crowding at registration places due to deadline beaters.
So hopefully, in 2021, we can drive up the daily number of registrants, effectively spreading out the load over a longer period of time.
But that’s next year’s work. For now, let me share with you my top five New Voter’s New Year’s Resolutions that I hope everyone who just registered will consider their own.
1. Follow politicians and potential candidates on social media.
By following politicians and potential candidates on social media, we – especially the newly registered voters – get free front-row seats to those people’s positions on the burning issues of the day. After all, in the age of the internet, there really is no excuse for not being socially and civically aware. And when you’re aware of how these politicians and potential candidates approach the issues; if you’re up-to-date on the solutions they propose to the problems facing the nation, then you’ve already got a starting point for your decision making process.
2. Be more active on social media.
One of the greatest dangers of social media is that people on it run the risk of becoming mere spectators – awarding likes, and re-tweets without really contributing anything of their own thoughts, their own opinions. This is the quickest way to become sheep – blind followers unable to think for themselves. To prevent this from happening, we should actively engage in social media conversations about the issues that mean the most to us. Get into arguments, try to convince people of your point of view, and remember that disagreements are the whetstone on which we sharpen our ability to think critically. In so doing, you will find that your decision-making process becomes more informed, more well-rounded, and ultimately, less about the personalities of the people running for office, and more about the issues.
3. Take the time to list down your core values.
These are the priorities that motivate you and help you make decisions in your life. These, therefore, are the priorities that you should want your elected representatives to embrace as well. A lot of people complain that the field of candidates is too wide; that there are too many people running for office for the voter to vet each one thoroughly. If you start with a list of your core values, I guarantee that field of candidates is going to get really small, really fast, making it easier for you to shortlist the candidates you want to see in office.
4. Make a list of the things politicians and potential candidates do that you agree with and those which you disagree with.
With the news going at breakneck speed all the time, issues that make the headlines are often forgotten the following day when some other breaking news grabs the spotlight. This contributes to our short memories about the things politicians and potential candidates do. Sometimes, we forget their malfeasances only to be reminded of them later on when it’s too late. The reverse is also true – we often forget the good people do when they get smeared with something nasty. In the end, having a record of the things politicians and potential candidates do will help you decide when the time comes to put your pen to the ballot.
5. Share your insights.
What’s the use of being a responsible and well-informed voter if you just keep all of that knowledge and insight to yourself? If you’ve taken the effort to educate yourself about the issues and about the people running for office, then take the extra step of leading others down the same path of discovery and, yeah, enlightenment. With my profoundest apologies to Asimov, there is a single light of democracy, and to brighten it in the mind and heart of any one person, is to brighten it in the minds and hearts of everyone.
If you take these resolutions to heart and try to actively live them, then you will be well on your way to becoming a responsible voter. More importantly, you will then have transitioned from being part of the problem to being part of the solution. Happy New Year!