Voting is something of a rite of passage-at least for the socially aware and politically engaged. For as long as I can remember (okay, since I was about 14) I was desperate to vote; to finally have a say in the political fate of my country. I remember watching in frustration in 2010 as the election results rolled in, furious that, aged 15, I hadn’t been allowed to make my voice heard.
When I finally was allowed to exercise my democratic right to vote (I was 19; it was the 2014 European Parliament elections. Little did I know two years later the UK would vote to leave the EU…) I was an anxious mix of anticipation, excitement, and nerves. Walking into a polling station for the first time felt like a formal step into adulthood.
I had voted. I was a woman now.
Three elections later, I still get excited by the idea of voting. There’s something thrilling about walking into a polling booth, knowing that with two strokes of a pencil I could change the world. People think that their votes don’t matter-but if the 2017 General Election has proved anything it’s that a couple of ballot papers can make all the difference.
Curious as to whether or not everyone feels like this about voting-or if I’m just a massive political nerd (highly possible)-I spoke to some of our other writers here at The Nopebook and asked them about their first voting experience.
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“I was six weeks too young for the 2010 General Election, but I still stayed up all night for it. My first vote was the AV referendum, I walked hungover with my best friend at university to the polling station, debating our votes as we went. I haven’t missed a vote since!” — Caroline Marie Delves
“Voting for the first time was a lot less ceremonial than I had built it up in my head to be, but I felt pride like never before. Just being able to vote was a huge deal for me, I didn’t have that option before moving back to the UK.” — Katie Charlwood
“It was 2010, and I’d been completely enthralled by this man with a promise to end uni fees. Spirited on by the suffragetes I exercised my right to vote. I remember feeling a great sense of ceremony. Like I was part of history. Little did I know it was the horrendous coalition that would go down in the books.” — Rachel Charlton Dailey
“The first General Election I could vote in was 1987. Orgreave, Thatcher promising to break the power of the unions, people suffering desperately as a result, all of it made me determined that the one party I would never vote for was the Conservatives, so it was a bit demoralising as they seemed unbeatable. That time they were, but change did happen eventually.” — Laura Mullan
“The first time I voted I felt a real sense of purpose putting my cross in the box. As a soon-to-be uni student, I voted Lib Dem because of their promise not to raise tuition fees… later that same year I marched in London with 50,000 others against the coalition’s decision to hike fees, despite the campaign promises that secured our votes.” — Becki Crossley
“I voted for the first time in the general election before this one. I’ve never been interested in politics so never bothered, but as I’m off work and receiving benefits, it became interesting.” — Hannah Waters
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Looks like I’m not the only political nerd?
We’d love to hear about your first time voting! Tweet us @The_Nopebook and tell us about your first time *swoon*!
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