Does my vote truly count?

The Philippines may have seen an increase in voter turnout last 2016 Elections. However, these past six years have surely caused a lot of Filipinos to be disinterested in politics. It’s very tiring and hopeless, so many have chosen to not participate in political activity.

We’re too busy putting food on the table, keeping ourselves alive, and working to even care about big things like politics that don’t directly concern us anyway. Because of this, many of us have chosen not to vote for this upcoming 2022 Elections.

The mindset here is that “my vote, which is just one vote, doesn’t count.” It’s just one, so how does it compare to the millions that are voting for the person who will win? Nothing will change if I vote so why should I even vote in the first place?

The reality is, for the elections, one vote will just count as one. However, the months and years leading up to the elections mean a ripple of many votes. Think about it, if you are decided to vote, you’ll at least inform your family members that you will be voting. If you are inclined to support a candidate, then, you will at least inform other people of your support for that candidate.

This way, if you are voting, you are making it easy for others to vote as well. You are encouraging others that their vote must count. You are telling others that despite the situation of politics in this country, you will exercise your right to vote. This encourages them to trust in the electoral system and do the same.

One vote doesn’t just mean one vote. It is a Facebook post. It’s a tweet on Twitter. It’s a conviction to others that you will vote. You’ll go to work, eat dinner with family, or meet people with the conviction that you will be voting during these elections. And you will influence some of them to vote as well.

And then those people, when they go to work, will tell their coworkers that they will be voting. When they go out to commute, they will the driver that they will be voting. And then your one vote will create a ripple.