Election Day

I hear lots of Australians grumbling about election day but I love it. I have just arrived home after a morning of handing out 'how to vote' cards for my preferred party and I have to say that it really is a great thing to be part of. After weeks of TV ads and sound bites and political pot shots and pork barrel promises today is the peoples' day. It's the day where the high powered end of the political spectrum have to hand over to the grassroots workers and volunteers. Today is about the people who for at least this one day every few year are willing to wear their political hearts on their sleeves and say 'Vote for my person because I think they are what the country needs'. It is about a person to person interaction - me offering my 'how to vote' to the average punters coming to vote at that polling place. And there were those who refused mine, those who took one of everything, those who took nothing and those who only took mine. There were reps from many of the other parties but we did not argue or sling mud. We at the grassroots level operate from the perspective of 'I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it'. There were inevitably moments where I thought to myself 'I can't believe that person's vote is worth the same as mine' particularly when I overheard conversations that demonstrated a clear ignorance of the Australian democratic process. But the thing I am always reminded on on days like today is that the laws and freedoms that give them their vote also protect my vote, and ensure that everyone has an equal say in the decision making and that is surely a thing to be treasured.

Of course I am hoping for a particular outcome today and will be unbelievably saddened if Australia lets me down. But for now I am content in the knowledge that the cogs of democracy are once again turning and today is a day where hope is real and change is possible.