Rochdale resident creates video to help others understand voting process

Scroll down for Video

A Rochdale resident has produced a video to help people better understand the voting process.

Kasim Ul-Haq, a resident of Rochdale, has recently made a Youtube video highlighting the do’s and dont's of voting.

Kasim has been a polling clerk in Rochdale, in elections prior to the 2016 referendum and in a mixture of local, mayoral and general elections. He is a recent graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University having completed a Master’s degree in law.

His Youtube video, ‘A Simple Guide to Voting in YOUR General Election 2019’ gives a clear and concise outline of the voting process that is easy to understand.

He said: “I decided to create this video as I have been a polling clerk for a few different elections and noticed that there were a significant number of people coming to vote who had issues, regardless of age or voting experience.

“These issues ranged from not being aware which parties were on the ballot, to just voting for the same party they always have done as a matter of course, doing whatever their parents had done for generations prior, and being intimidated or convinced of the importance of the tellers outside.”

Kasim’s video contains useful information including the ways that people can vote (at a polling station, by postal vote or by proxy) and ways to educate yourself before choosing who to vote for.

Kasim’s video guide might be most useful for first-time voters who may not know much about the voting process. It can be a daunting experience, so going in prepared might mean that voters are more likely to continue to vote.

While there has been a recent surge in the number of 18-24-year olds registering to vote, Kasim also believes in the importance of everyone exercising their right to vote, especially young people.

Kasim said: “I have always voted as I appreciate that politics permeates every aspect of everyone’s lives. Not to do so would be an abdication of responsibility for the direction of the country.

“It’s imperative that younger voters exercise their right to vote as they’re the ones who will feel the most of the political impact of every election, as it’s the start of their life and they’ll feel the effects more significantly, being at an earlier stage in their lives.”

Kasim realised that people voting with a lack of information was problematic as a polling clerk, and he endeavoured to obtain as much voter information as possible for himself and others.

“My experience made it clear that a lot of people didn’t know a lot about what was going on. I consider this unacceptable for a country that claims to be one of the foremost democracies in the world.

“I believe that a democracy only functions if people are sufficiently educated, so these events spurred me to do something about it.”

Kasim believes there are a variety of reasons that voters may not be confident at the polls.

He found that a lot of people believed that nobody is worth voting for or didn’t want to think about politics unless they had to and many thought that their vote just didn’t matter.

This is one of the points he makes in his video, which endeavours to highlight the importance of voting and holding your chosen member of Parliament to account.

The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday 26 November.

Register to vote here:

• www.gov.uk/register-to-vote