Voting

I'll start with am article written about me, for our local council magazine - I was contacted to ask if I would share my views on voting...

Simple, says Helen



Helen Mitchell has just re- registered to vote, spurred on by the fact she spends her working life empowering young people to take control of their lives and to have a say in their future.



Helen, of Fitzpatrick Place, South Shields, trained as a primary school teacher. The 27-year-old is working as a transition mentor with young people in a needy area of Sunderland.



"I do a lot of one-on-one and groupwork with young people who are moving from Year 6 to Year 7 and from Year 2 to Year 3. It's early intervention work; trying to prevent problems further down the line.



"I think I just came to the point where I knew I wanted to exercise my right to vote because I want my voice to be heard and to make a difference.



I was also inspired because we'd had a real problem with parking in the street I used to live in and I heard it was going to be discussed at one of my local community area forum meetings.



I felt really strongly about the issue so I went along and actually spoke up then collared someone from the council afterwards to ask what was going to be done. It was really empowering and made me feel that it's important to have your say about local issues.



Voting allows you to have a say in who is going to represent you in the political arena.



I remember one of my A level teachers at school was a distant relative of Emmeline Pankhurst and I remember her saying if any of us dared not to vote, she'd be on to us! That's always stuck in my mind.



I think some people might be reticent to register because they think it's going to be a long or difficult process, like filling in a form for a job application.



It's really very easy. The forms that were sent out to me already had all my details filled in and I just had to check them over to make sure there were no amendments, sign and date them then send them back. Pretty idiot-proof really!"