How can we be better voters?
On the many levels of voting
For representative democracy to be effective, we need informed voters who can “vote well”. “Voting well” is not about “who” you vote for, it is “how”.
So, how well do you vote?
Read on, if you want to find out.
Level 0 — “I don’t vote”
We will start with the worst type of voter — the voter that doesn’t vote.
Why is not voting such a bad thing? Well for most of human history, the vast majority humans have had no political power. Most humans have been slaves to kings and autocrats. Democracy (even flawed varieties) are a rare privilege.
That is why we must vote.
Level 1 — “I always vote for one party”
There is a Sinhala expression, “කැපුවත් කොළ”; meaning if you cut a person’s veins their blood would be green colour; alluding to their support for the United National Party (the “Green” party). Sadly, too many voters vote like this. They are lifelong supporters of exactly one party. Nothing will change their minds and votes.
A variant on this type of blind and singular allegiance is blind and singular hatred of other political parties. Many would never vote for a particular party because of something that happened decades ago.
Level 2 — “I pick the best candidate — on the day”
The Level 2 voter is not wedded to any political party or candidate. They are happy to vote for any one of multiple parties or candidates.
Sadly, this choice is not based on much critical thinking or analysis. Mostly, the decision is emotional — “she had an honest face”-type of decision.
That said, Level 2 is an order of magnitude better than level one. For the first type the voter exercises choice; democratic choice.
Level 3 — “I expect certain things from the candidates and parties I vote for. If they check the boxes, they get my vote”
Our elected representatives legislate the laws we want and execute them. Hence, before we can elect a representative, we must have some sense of what we want, what laws we want enacted, and how we want them executed.
In a sense, we must all have our own “shadow manifestos”; our articulation of what we want. This need not be hundreds of pages long. 10 bullet points with clear goals or demands is perfectly acceptable. But it is important that it exists in some concrete form — like a written list; not some vague sense locked away somewhere in your mind.
In a sense, Level 3 voters are like an “unelected” parliament; that has strong views on what the “elected” parliament or other elected representatives should do.
Level 4 — “Your shadow manifesto is actually good for the country” — others tell you.
The Level 4 voter is a Level 3 voter who has gone beyond their own personal needs and can think at the level of what the country (or area) needs.
In a sense, a Level 4 voter would make an ideal representative policy-wise. They might not be suitable to be a representative in other ways (execution, time-commitment, electability etc.), but they articulate policies, goals, and expectations for representatives well.
Given the gravity and importance of taking on the country’s needs, the Level 4 voter needs to think clearly, respect scientific evidence, and be knowledable and wise enough to see the “big picture”.
So how can we be better voters?
Step 1 is self-awareness. Or in other words, identifying at “what level” we vote.
Step 2 is improvement. If you are already at level 4 — great. Our country needs more people like you. If not, the good news is that you have space for improvement. Ask yourself, “how do I get to the next level?”
