The importance of democracy.....from someone who has no democratic voice

I've been avoiding the election. I've been trying to force it out of my mind. I've been trying act as if Australia is not going to the polls. I've been avoiding political news.

I don't even know where to begin with the election. Where do you begin talking about something that matters so much to you that you're excluded from? What do you even say about something which you've taken seriously your whole life?

Of course, I'm talking about the fact that New Zealand citizens living permanently in Australia cannot vote due to a law change in 2001 when former Prime Minister John Howard was leading the country.

Howard was forced to change the law because there were too many New Zealand citizens moving over to Australia who didn't actually care about the country and came over then one week later would claim welfare.

That unfortunately destroyed the bilateral relations between Australia and NZ because NZ citizens were treated as scum that was only out to rort the Australian taxpayer and the Australian legal system.

There were unintended consequences of course for the hardworking migrants caught in the crossfire of this policy targeted at people abusing the system.

It meant that they were left without simple rights, simple rights that other people take for granted.

Like voting.

Voting, the one time, once every three years where they can have their say. Where they can influence public policy. Where they can do the most important thing. It may seem insignificant, but it's not. It is so important.

And yet NZ citizens living permanently in Australia, many of whom would take up citizenship tomorrow are excluded from.

It's not fair.

Democracy doesn't exist without people's participation and viewpoints. It doesn't exist if people don't have their say.

Just look at the situation in Europe with Brexit. Only 70% of people voted. That means 30% threw away their democratic right. 30%. That's way too many. Since the poll results many people have complained that the outcome wasn't what they desired.

What happened to valuing democracy? What happened to actually understanding the importance of civic duty?

So that brings me to the Australian election and why I'm avoiding it.

Imagine this right, you're the most opinionated person in the room. You have an opinion on everything and yet you can't express your views. Imagine you physically lose your right to speak. Imagine that you have to stay silent.

Well readers, and you should be really disturbed by this, that's exactly what NZ citizens living in Australia are facing. They face years of being unable to have a say on how the country is run. It's so undemocratic and unreasonable.

You see, I majored in politics at university. Not only that, I have previously been a member of a political party. That was when I was first year uni. When I progressed to third year I studied Political Participation (342) which was about just how low voter turnouts are and that voting is both a right and a responsibility. I'm the type of person, who in previous elections, votes the day I can. One time I was going to miss out on voting as I'd been away. I somehow managed to get my papers sent to me just in the nick of time. Other elections I've ordered papers three times just to make sure they arrive and that I am able to vote.

I take it very seriously.

So can you imagine not having that right? Can you imagine being excluded from the very thing that you value most in this world? Democracy. And freedom. Can you imagine just how hard that is to be excluded and silenced?

New Zealand citizens pay taxes, contribute to the economy and yet can't have a say on how it's run. It's not right. It's actually very wrong.

I really want you to think and digest this: Australia is a Western nation that's supposed to be founded on principles of freedom but 400,000 people are excluded from having a say every election and might as well have their mouths zipped together like asylum seekers in detention centres do in protest of immigration policy.

This blog is much longer than I intended but it's so important and everything must be included.

So to get to the point on why it's so important that you vote tomorrow:

1 - There are over 400,000 people living in Australia that do not have voting rights. These 400,000 people have no democratic say. They pay taxes and contribute but are excluded from having a say. These people, who let's be honest, this is suffrage. This is discrimination. This actually violates human rights. It goes against the principles of being an inclusive society which is sung about in the Australian national anthem. It goes against valuing everyone's opinions and allowing everyone a say.

So to summarise why you need to vote tomorrow: 400,000 people do not have a democratic voice. You do. Don't throw it away. Put yourself in their shoes.

2 - People often talk about how politicians do not listen to them and that their views are ignored. If we go back to the ancient Greece where democracy was born, the very principle of democracy is that everyone has their say, not just a select few. You cannot change the world if you don't speak your mind. The only way to drive change is to voice your opinions.

3 - Voting occurs only once every three years. If you only participate through the ballot box then this is even more important. As Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said, "every vote counts," and it really does. We don't have democracy if people don't vote. It's that simple.

4 - It sets a good example to the future generation. People become like the people they associate with. If you don't vote you're actually setting up the next generation to become disenfranchised and not vote at the polls.

5 - It's your Civic Duty.  Your ancestors fought for your right to a democratic voice. They fought for your right to freedom. Don't let that be in vain.

So please, please make sure you get out and vote tomorrow. It doesn't matter which side of the political spectrum you are on, it's so important that you vote. If you don't vote then all you do is destroy democracy because politicians can get away with more. Voting holds them accountable to their actions and everything affects you - think about tax, roads, immigration. It all affects you so make sure you get out and vote.

And on that note, I'm not speaking for the next 25 hours. Being excluded from democracy after living in Australia for eight years when I would take up citizenship tomorrow just cuts way too deep.