General Election next week - are you going to vote?

Voted every election i could since turning 18, but then i've been interested in politics since i was about 13 :/ lol

still deciding on who to vote for this year.....

if you want to vote green, it might be worthwhile googling 'swap my vote'. saw it on the bbc the other day

I'll be voting. I don't get why people don't vote. As far as i'm concerned we should have the Australian system where everyone has to vote and they can then protest by spoiling their ballot paper.

We don't actually know how many people are just plain lazy and how many think all parties are shIte.

I'm pretty clear on whom i'll be voting for.

I've only ever voted once and that was last time. I knew nothing about politics and had no interest in it before but now I'm trying to get more of an understanding. I'm struggling on who to vote for this time because I don't see a huge difference in the parties policies. I want to vote green but that won't make a difference where I live so considering voting Labour. Then again this government have got the country back on track and brought in a few things that have helped me so I'm even more confused on who to vote for!

I took one of the policy quizzes yesterday to work out which party was most similar to my views, it was who I expected and who I will be voting for.

I didn't understand half of that quiz ?

I've only voted once, which was in 1998 (the first time I was eligible). Since then it's been a mixture of apathy, thinking all the options are rubbish, and once I was working the entire time the polling stations were open (that was before postal votes were available to everyone). I am gonna vote this time though, although I'm not yet sure for whom. I basically just want to do something towards keeping ukip out - last election they were still something of a joke to most people, this time they actually feel like a viable threat.

I get right up on my soap box about people not voting. It makes me really really mad.

I will definitely be voting and have every single time I could since I was 18. I know who I will be voting for.

I am concerned about UKIP though, especially in the locals. I live in a town with a perceived high number of eastern European immigrants and I fear people will vote UKIP because of this.

Well the party I plan on voting for weren't on that who should you vote for quiz, and I won't be voting for who they recommended!

**Edit** didn't realize I could change my country of residence and I got the result of the party I'll be voting for

I've just registered on swap my vote so that my vote can have more impact thanks for the tip

I did the quiz and got the result I expected

I'll be voting, to keep people out rather than get anyone in.

I cannot stand ukip and they are a viable threat in my area so I need to make my vote count. I would probably have voted lib dem but it isn't worth it, the race around here is always conservative vs labour. I don't like Ed milliband (I know you vote for the party not the person, but still) and I can't bear the thought of the SNP getting in, so its conservative for me.

I'm voting but I can't decide on who just yet possibly lib dems or green. I actually don't like many of any parties policies. I abolsute refuse to vote Tory as I really object to the expansion of the RTB policy ( that said I'm pretty sure it's an empty promisecas the government don't own housing association properties to sell off').

I get confused by this idea of voting to keep a party out. Surely the idea of democracy is to give you a choice as to who you want in, not out!

I have voted lib dem for years, not because I thought they would win or because I thought they would stop another party from winning, but because I believe in their manifesto and policies. If I thought that the Green party were the best party for me, I would vote for them no matter what the polls said about the local area.

My opinion is that if everyone stops voting for their chosen party because it won't make a difference, then that party will never get anywhere. If you want your party to make real gains, then vote for them! Don't vote for one of the others - that doesn't get you anywhere.

Local elections are a different matter - when it comes to local matters, I vote for the individual that I think will give our community their best so this time I'll be voting for a labour candidate.

Please remember that the two issues are separate so your vote in the general election is not the same as your vote for the local elections.

Yep, good point. I think it'll be lib dem for the big one, and conservative for the local

Yes, I will definitely be voting, though I'm not totally sure who for.

Yes, I'll be voting. I have voted for every election general or local since I was 18. Even had a postal vote for years when I couldn't get to the polls. Husband is a bit apathetic but I forced him to vote last year and will be doing so again.

There is a massive conservative majority locally here so anyone else is unlikely to get in. I pretty much know who I'll be voting for. I definitely know who I won't be voting for!!

I was discussing with husband earlier staying up for the results. Don't think I'll be doing that!

I'm 23 and the first time I voted was in the last locals. Before that I'm ashamed to admit I just didn't care, didn't feel like I knew enough to make an informed vote, and wasn't motivated to learn. My reasons for voting last time and this time are this:

I took quizzes last and this time so I could make a semi-informed decision, and got the results I expected anyway. I think even if UKIP weren't a threat in the future, I would still vote anyway now I am realising how important it is. But I will admit that it's fear of UKIP that made me care in the first place, so I suppose they have done some good!

I was thinking about voting Green but part of me wonders whether it's just a waste of my vote and it only ever really seems to be between Labour and Tories.

My main concern is UKIP - there seem to be so many idiots that will vote fr them!

It's both though. Doing one does the other by default. It's still using your vote for something you care about, I don't see the problem.

Has anyone watched/read (properly, not just heard second-hand) Russell Brand's views on not voting? I find his arguments really interesting. He's always so eloquent.

Have you read his Revolution book ID? I found it so interesting, some views in there which are worth considering.

I couldn't wait to be old enough to vote. I was interested in politics from an early age (9) and got active at about 12/13. I can't imagine not voting. My party allegiances have changed and I think now more than ever the smaller fringe parties have the potential to have major influence in how our country is run. I don't think any vote is a wasted vote but obviously in marginals some are more critical.

I haven't - I read My Booky-Wook and Articles of Faith and I've had Revolution on my wishlist for aaages. Maybe now's the time to take the plunge and click buy!

It so saddens me to read people saying that they actually want to vote for part x but there is no point because they won't get in. If everyone voted for who they wanted to they would eb a bigger chance that that party would get it.

I am voting Green party as I looked at the policies and found I agree witha lot of what they said. Until recently I would have said Labour but I do think they are that different from the conservatives anymore.

Thanks Miss Winter, I've registered on this but no match yet.

I don't see my vote for Labour as a wasted vote, as when I did the vote for policies test, I came out strongly Green closely followed by Labour. I still agree with lots of Labour's policies, just not as many as Green. The other three main parties were all on the negative/minus side. I got H2B to do the test and he came out the exact opposite of me which was interesting...

I always wonder whether people would be more likely to vote what they want to vote if we had proportional representation. I certainly would be more likely to consider voting Green if that were the case. Sadly I feel that my vote will make more impact if I chose one of the larger parties so that I can ensure a party with policies that are not hugely unpleasant comes into power.

I was very disappointed when the referendum on this failed. I think proportional representation is a much better bet and would shake the system up a bit. The larger parties would have to work a bit harder which can only be a good thing.

I really enjoyed your quiz Arpee. Oddly enough when i did the longer one I chose none of the Lib Dem policies (i wasn't planning on voting Lib Dem this time but had seriously considered it).

I will be voting, and I know who I'll be voting for. I have a postal vote as I will be working as a poll clerk on election day, so I need to send that in soon. I think voting is really important and still cast an absentee vote in the US presidential elections, too (I have dual citizenship). People were tortured and died for our right to vote freely (suffragettes and in the world wars), and it's up to us to use that privilege wisely. The only thing that annoys me is my vote is unlikely to be counted now that I live in a different constituency to last time - postal votes are only counted if they are likely to affect the result - ie., there are more postal votes than the difference in cast votes between candidates, and our constituency always massively swings to Labour. Although, we also have the lowest voter turnout in the country, so who knows? If people actually come out, the results might end up closer than normal.

I am worried UKIP will do well in the Local elections here. Although, to be honest, we do need an opposition party on MCC again, I definitely don't want it to be UKIP! Haven't seen much support for them around Manchester, but came across a lot of pro-UKIPers at work. And when I was in Beverley last week, there were loads of "I'm voting UKIP" boards out around the place. FMIL was so angry about it!

Finally got around to doing the short quiz and somehow ended up with labour????????? i think not.

tbh i know how it happened- i'm staunchly pro EU- but that's about the only thing i can agree with them on :/ lol

labour don't stand a chance in my locality anyways. they've not topped 7000 votes in the past 3 elections :/

So I'm 26 which means I could have voted once before as previous was just before I turned 18 I didn't vote last time not for any real reason I just didn't get round to doing it I guess this time husband is encouraging me to vote and I do believe I should vote even for just the fact we are lucky we have the vote in this country as so many women even today do not have the luxury plus also how would the country function if everybody had the mindset of my vote makes no difference. However I simply do not know enough to know who to vote for. I know I won't vote ukip and from what husband says labour sounds best of the bunch but I just really don't know.

My problem is that I'm happy to pick a party to vote for based on their policies. What I DON'T want to vote for, however, is politicians. IMO there are very very few (and almost none at the top level) who retain their initial zeal for actually making things better - they all seem to slip into the spin and blah that puts a lot of people off voting altogether.

Sadly I haven't yet come up with a way of having the policies and principles without the people...

Is anyone watching question time? Ed Milliband makes me what to throw things at the TV, but I want to hear Cleggs bit.

Miliband annoys me so much. i love the labour stance on the EU, but when it's coming out of his mouth even that sounds awful and untrustworthy, despite the fact i think that is the one thing he'd likely stay true to

I'm not a labour girl anyway, but I can't stand him!! And Ed Balls, Christ.