Why people should vote seriously in the NZ Flag referendum

The majority of New Zealanders have an opinion on the flag referendum presently being held and running until the 11th of December.

According to a 3 News/Reid Research poll 69% of New Zealanders do not wish to change the flag, 25% do and the remaining 6% are undecided.

Since the voting commenced on the 20th of November people have been posting photos of defaced referendum forms on their social media pages. 

Rather than waiting to until the second referendum to voice that they do not want the flag to change they're effectively throwing their democratic right away.

New Zealand soldiers did not fight in World War 1 and World War 2 so that people could throw away their right to vote, and women didn't fight for the right to vote just so MPs such as Claire Curran could throw that right away.

By all means disagree with changing the flag but it would not hurt to vote seriously in the first referendum and then vote NO to change in the second referendum.

All the defacing of forms does is undermine the importance of democracy which not everyone in the world has.

It's actually a luxury afforded to so few and shouldn't be taken for granted.

Change doesn't occur by sitting back and doing nothing.  It occurs when people stand up and use their democratic right in a mature and responsible manner.