Putting value on your single vote: A Juan Vote

Each registered voter is granted one vote. Just one vote. While you might think that your one vote is nothing in comparison to the millions of votes that will determine the next leader of the country, its value is the same as the vote of other people.

In this article, we will discuss the various ways that you can put the most value on your vote so that it counts.

“Iisalang naman angbotoko.”

The first step to putting value on your vote is to actually recognize its value. Yes, your vote only counts once but so will everyone else’s. Nobody gets to vote twice.

If millions of Filipinos say the same thing, that their vote will only make up 1 of the millions, so they’d rather not vote at all, then, those are millions of Filipinos not voting for an important decision that will affect the lives of everyone in the country.

Moreover, your vote is not merely just a vote, it is support. If you vote for a certain candidate and are publicly vocal about your support for this candidate, then, you might change the opinion of others. In turn, that person will go to work and change the opinion of his workmates and so on and so forth.

So your original one vote turned into many powerful votes.

Do not vote for the candidate who you think has the most winnability

The mindset that one should not vote for a candidate that they think will lose, despite them actually liking this candidate isn’t going to put a value on your vote. The reason why you vote is to get a person to win. So sacrificing your vote by voting for the ones that other people are voting for isn’t really going to help.

Instead of winnability being your standard, be consistent with your principles and standards. You should have non-negotiables when it comes to your candidate.

Your vote is not a product

Your vote is not a product so don’t sell it. You are not a business person, but a voter, a part of an important decision that will determine the future of this country. Selling your vote to a politician who would rather buy votes than campaign for himself in an honest manner is the same as putting your vote and your future into the trash bin.