If you can’t find somebody to vote for, at least choose someone to vote against

A trip to Harlem reminds me of the ballot’s importance

Early one Sunday morning in New York, I joined a bus tour that sampled religious services at five gospel-singing churches in Harlem. It was beguiling, entertaining and uplifting beyond my expectations.

The stereotypical view of Harlem as a centre of violence was seriously dented by the processions of Sunday-suited people, missals and prayer books in hand, hurrying to their local church in the early morning. It was an image reminiscent of Ireland in the 1960s.

But the real source for reflection came as the tour bus was on the return leg to Manhattan. Our guide, who had up to then been flippant and entertaining, turned to a brief reflection on African-Americans’ experiences and struggles.

The guide spoke especially about campaigns to get African-Americans registered to vote, and then mobilising them to go out and vote.

“Politicians lose interest in places where they know people do not vote – and funding for education, sport and social projects just goes elsewhere. It becomes a vicious circle as things get worse,” he said.

I was more than surprised to get such a pithy and irrefutable political argument on a Harlem bus tour, but his words have stayed with me these many years later and they always resonate on election days such as today.

Now, I know people have busy lives, and many take their politics in at a glance and in small doses – if they bother at all. I equally know that people dislike lectures from the likes of me.

I am further aware that people making the effort can look at a ballot paper, and with good grounds conclude there is not a single candidate who enthuses them. In fact, they might conclude that many on the ballot turn them green.

But just hold that thought and expand it a little: If you cannot find somebody to vote for today, surely you can find somebody to vote against.

You can do that by counting the number of candidates and starting at the bottom with the one you dislike most, working slowly towards the one you dislike least.

It can be a fun game. But here again, I realise it could be laborious and the cause of vote-spoiling errors in today’s European Parliament elections. There are 28 candidates running in the Midlands-North West and 23 each in Dublin and South.

In that event, you could restrict the exercise to a smaller number of candidates and simply ignore the others.

Or you could take a deep breath and work from the top, simply choosing the ones you find less objectionable as a start.

A decision to focus on personalities and/or party brands can also help ease choice dilemmas and aversions. The recommendations of a trusted friend who you know follows matters political more closely can also be a help.

But at all events, try to steal a little time to go and vote today because, as my Harlem guide said, bad things can happen to your neighbourhood when you do not vote.

‘A decision to focus on personalities and/or party brands can also help ease choice dilemmas’