No excuse not to vote

But one MP has come up with a new scheme that will, hopefully, encourage young people to vote.

Sheffield MP Paul Blomfield has suggested that polling booths be installed in schools and colleges so that 18-year-olds can easily access a place to vote.

In other words, they have no excuse not to vote.

The nearest polling booth to myself, if memory serves correctly, has always been in the science block of St Bernard’s School.  

St Bernard’s can’t be the only school with a polling booth.

So why not just make every school, particularly those with sixth forms where there are obviously students at the legal age to vote, have polling stations?

Or, if there are already the voting facilities nationwide for young adults, wouldn’t it be more fitting to question the way politics is taught, or even, on a much larger scale, question UK and Rotherham politics and politicians?

When I was at Thomas Rotherham College, there were plenty of politically motivated students, many of whom have gone on to study in higher education and many of which are still actively involved in local and national politics. These particular students usually came from families with certain political parties rooted into their blood.

There will be thousands of kids in Rotherham who are from families who, politically, are neither here nor there.  

People who, frankly, haven’t got a clue about what’s going on behind the doors of Number 10 or even within their local councils.

Truth be told, they’re never going to know while they are not being educated about the realm of politics, from the parties to the jargon, or even the history.

Putting up a voting station slap bang in the middle of a sixth form common room, or in the courtyard of TRC, or reception of RCAT will not urge those who do not wish to vote to come to their own conclusion.

If anything, it just nurtures peer pressure.

Groups of mates voting for the same party because one person says so. There’s nothing honest about a voting poll based upon the idea of “Who are you voting for? …I’ll do the same.”

So as a proudly politically inactive yet passionate young adult I vote against the proposed plans for more polling stations in educational amenities and vote for secondary school lessons in politics.

All in favour, say aye!