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| Image of voters in Sierra Leone |
I am not really asking you to tell me. In fact I am suggesting that you don't.
Chances are pretty high that you vote either:
1) Exactly as your parents did/do
2) For the same political party that you voted for the first time you voted.
Popps recently came with me to a polling station for a local vote and as we left she asked "who did you pick, which one did you vote for?"
I told her that I couldnt tell her. That it is important people vote secretly, for who they believe is best and don't have to justify or discuss their choice with their friends. We talked about how everyone likes to vote for different people but you can still all like each other.
That you shouldn't worry about who other people vote for either. It's their choice.
And what I was doing was exactly what my parents did, without really thinking about it.
I still have no idea who my parents vote for. Mum once answered me with 'donkey vote' and told me to look up what it meant. The next time she told me she voted informally, and I had to look up what that meant. I don't believe this was true either time, but it was the fast answer of saying, 'none of your business'.
Every time I asked Dad "who'd you vote for?" he replied that he voted by secret ballot.
When I first had to vote, I had to make up my own mind. I invested many hours in my choice, really feeling as though my vote was going to be the deciding point. According to the statistics who I voted for will likely be who I choose for life. I wish it was that easy.
All I really know is that I wont be sharing with the girls who I vote for either. Instead I will share with them my values and ethics and try to teach them to be independent thinkers so they can make the choice that they think is the wise one when they start voting one day. If I don't agree with it, then I will just have to live with it. As long as they get to vote things will usually be ok.
