Just to be clear, I DON’T think I’m famous (I put that in because I have brothers out there who will give me grief about this when I see them). That said, I’m pumped to be part of the Australian Electoral Commission’s Famous People Vote gee-up to get everyone enrolled to vote for the upcoming Federal election (likely to be around September).
This is how excited I am (I’m almost falling off my chair):
I’m a very vocal voter. I get that politics is slippery (do our leaders actually follow up on what they promise when they wrangle for our vote? Frustratingly, not often enough). And I get that it can feel like your vote doesn’t count (tho, take heart…candidates have lost on a handful of counts). But I reckon: to vote is to care. When you stop caring, and stop being engaged, it’s a slippery slope. Where do you draw the line? Where do you stop taking part? You have to care. And this election is a really important one to care about and get engaged in, in part because a lot of issues that have sat beneath the crud of everyday politicking will surface. True colours will coming shining through, I reckon.
Which is where the fun kicks in. This is our first election where Twitter and social media is likely to usurp mainstream commentary. Stuff will be dug up by Tweeters and bloggers that standard journos don’t have access to. Or can’t print. We’ll also be able to follow the top journos in real time, as they tweet and update websites, and we’ll get their intimate opinions.
And in the washup, we will get a good FEEL, a good intuitive overview, of what’s going on. Twitter etc is good like that – you can absorb where things at in a quick scroll through people’s comments. It will be sooooo interesting to see the mood shift along the way via 140 characters-or-less opining.
But, also, it means we can all get involved and pass comment and ask questions and get messy with it all as well. Which is why we all need to be enrolled and engaged…
Two very nifty links for you:
1. Check that you’re enrolled here. It takes literally 2 secs. I just did it. Avoids fines and turning up to the wrong booth.
2. If you’re not enrolled (you’ve moved, you’ve turned 18 since the last election) click here. Due to changes in laws (that affect the amount of time you have to enroll once an election is called), it’s best to get enrolled ASAP.
As a little bit of nostalgia, this is how I got fired up last election:
I interviewed both Kevin Rudd and John Howard when I was editor of Cosmopolitan…again, another campaign to get young people enrolled.
As an aside, I interviewed Mr Howard in his office. And yes, that’s SERIOUSLY an Australian flag draped in the background. And Australiana oil paintings on the wall. AND chesterfield couches. You couldn’t set design the room better, could you!?
