Youth & Democracy Mr. Bhagaban Prakash.ppt

18+Reasons for the 18 Year-olds to “Stop Complaining and Start Voting”

1. FIRST TIME VOTINGFIRST TIME VOTING
BYBY
~HARISH KM~HARISH KM
~RITHIKA MP~RITHIKA MP
~KARTHIK M~KARTHIK M
~VIJAYA V~VIJAYA V
~MOHAMMED ~MOHAMMED
HANIF S HANIF S

2. 18+Reasons for the 18 Year-olds to 18+Reasons for the 18 Year-olds to
“Stop Complaining and Start Voting”“Stop Complaining and Start Voting”
why they should now get united, spread awareness , stop
complaining , start voting and take charge of their lives,
how it were the youth who had spearheaded the freedom struggle
and made sacrifices to win democracy for the country and must
defend it now,
how mass voter participation will add value to democracy and
change the nature of ‘conversation’ between the voter and the voted,
how voting is the first critical and concrete step towards youth
empowerment using which the youth influence decisions on who
should run their country, their state, their municipality, their
panchayats and villages and how they should do it.
how proactive, participative youth groups in the larger civil
society was the base wherein productive forces and societal values
influence the super structure of a political society,

3. •how they could act as the gears to the engine of
democracy to promote and protect national value like
secularism and pluralism in their country,
•how even one vote of one young person matters and it
may be his/her vote that makes the difference in the
outcome of an elections,
•what is the opportunity cost and social consequence of
not participating in the electoral process,
•how non participation weakens our constitution and the
country, its unity and diversity,

4. how non-participating, non-voting youth indirectly produce non-
democratic leaders,
how by not voting one loses the moral right to use and enjoy public
utilities and services as well as benefits ensured by an elective
democracy,
how even the elected representatives have exercised their power of
voting in passing welfare bills, social legislation and often by
amending the constitution (97 times by January 2012),
how right to vote is a judicially protected youth right, and privilege
of our democracy,
how voting is not only a civic duty but, a social good and it is an
emphatic declaration of being a part of the community,

5. how combinations of single votes like single voices make a
powerful chorus compelling others to listen making little
persons big,
How if every eligible voter thought that his/her vote would
not make a difference and hence should not vote, then we
can never have an election nor a democracy,

Young people must know why they should not take or
treat democracy lightly and brush off their rights to vote ,
how exercising the right political choice can help them
fashion their own destinies as well as prevent voter
demoralization,

6. why they should exercise their choice in order to make people
respect their voice,
why rising above all affiliations they must cast the vote and not
vote the caste, for the country and not for the community,
how it would facilitate youth access to power and decision making
structures at various levels and enable them to pursue their
ideology, aspirations and creativity in a free and open society,
how optimum voting could prevent ,check and control abuse of
power and authority as well as electoral fraud, rigging, booth
capture and mal practices,
how large scale youth participation gives representational
legitimacy to the representative democracy of the country,

7. how their vote can bring back from the back
burner bread and- butter issues like water,
sanitation, light, shelter, education, training,
employment, health and infrastructure, that
directly affect the youth,
how a “youth voter- wave” creates new waves and
demands for change in democratic governance and
quality of life,
how participating in this process the youth can take
democratic control of the governance system and how they
have done it several times in the past,
how a voter can periodically hold the rulers to account
and demand answers to questions about their policies,
plans, decisions and actions,

8. how full participation of youth converts voting into an aspirational mandate for
the elected representatives,
how non-voting could turn elected governments into authoritarian, looking to
police than politics as solutionto all problems,
why choosing the right candidate is their right as well as duty and responsibility,
how regular voting could make them more important, more relevant , more
visible and sought after,
how it could create new opportunities for the youth to play leadership role in
public affairs,

9. •how voting in elections protects people from calamities
like famine and hunger, which essentially makes a
difference between life and death,
•how voting in elections strengthens effective civilian
control over military and police and prevents
authoritarian rule,
•how voting is a powerful tool to safeguard social justice,
inclusion, rights of marginalized and weaker sections,
•how democracies spend more resources on goods,
services and welfare than autocracies,

10. how its inbuilt checks and balances on legislature,
judiciary, executive, media, civil society and corporates
ensures respect for the rights of the citizens and
how it has a better track record of promoting civil and
economic rights than any other political system,
how it allows a culture of debate, discussion and
dissent, respects freedom of thought and expression
and
how it enables peaceful change of government and
orderly transfer of power at central , state and
panchayat level,

11. how by deciding to vote, to contest and enter into policy
making structures they can integrate concerns of adolescent
and youth into relevant programmes and projects at national
regional and local levels,
how this can influence other policy makers to invest more
resources for social sector,
how participation of large number of young woman can make
sure that girls and young women access to economic resources,
equality of status, welfare and opportunity,
Why regular elections are important to make elected
representatives accountable to their voters and
how lack of proper political education and practice on the part
of youth makes politicians get away with exaggerated,
unrealistic claims and promises made in misleading manifestos.

12. ““Wake up, you are 18,Wake up, you are 18,
Sit up, you are a Voter,Sit up, you are a Voter,
Stand up, you are a citizen,Stand up, you are a citizen,
Walk up, it’s voting time.”Walk up, it’s voting time.”
Thank YouThank You