Black All Year - UK General Election Special

Engagement and Equity: The Critical Role of Voting in Society

How impactful is your vote really? Join Steph Edusei as she sits down with freelance journalist and non-executive director for Newcastle Creates, Loujane Alasi, to explore the profound importance for Black communities of voter registration and voting. We'll share personal stories that highlight why casting your ballot is not just a right but a powerful tool for change, particularly for underrepresented communities. Loujane offers an insightful look into the voter registration disparities among ethnically minoritized groups and how new voter ID requirements could pose further challenges.

We talk about how voting shapes critical aspects of everyday life, from education and healthcare to child poverty and the cost of living. Often, the dismissal of voting’s significance comes from a place of privilege, where the immediate effects of policy changes aren't felt. We critique the media's role in oversimplifying complex issues and highlight the controversial voter ID requirements, questioning their necessity and the barriers they may create for voter accessibility.

Empowerment through voting is a recurring theme, especially for those in economically disadvantaged and digitally excluded populations. We break down the introduction of the voter authority certificate and the hurdles it presents. We also touch on different voting methods like postal and proxy votes, emphasizing the need for better support and information to ensure all eligible voters can participate. Discover crucial registration dates and listen to this episode for a compelling discussion aimed at making your voice heard.

Loujane Alasi links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loujanealasi/?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/loujanealasi

Steph Edusei LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-edusei/
Steph Edusei Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stephedusei/

Original music by Wayne C McDonald, #ActorSlashDJ
www.facebook.com/waynecmcdonald
www.mixcloud.com/waynecmcdonald
...

Chapters

• 0:09 Voting and Voter Registration Importance for Black people
• 11:16 The Impact of Voting on Society
• 15:17 Voter ID and Civic Engagement Importance
• 25:18 Importance of Voting for Empowerment

Transcript

Steph Edusei:

Hi and welcome to Black All Year. My name is Steph Edusei and today I'm in conversation with Loujane Alasi. Loujane is a freelance journalist, a non-executive director for Newcastle Creates and a charity sector worker.

As an architectural technology graduate, she previously worked in the built environment sector as an architectural technologist, where she worked on a range of national and international new build and refurbishment projects before pursuing her MA in media and journalism. Whilst at university, Loujane served as the education coordinator for the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technology Aspiration Group and was a community reporter for a hyper-local news outlet, Jesmond Local. Loujain is passionate about the northeast of England, Libya and tackling inequality.

Hi Loujane, it's really great that you could join me on this. It's a really important one, isn't it, and I don't think people realise just how important it is.

Loujane Alasi:

No, thank you so much for inviting me in the first place. Like you said, it's really, really important and a lot of people don't realise how impactful it is and how influential it is that we take part in it. 

Steph Edusei:

Yeah, so this whole thing of the general election, we've actually just had, most of us have just had an election, particularly in the North East, because we had the North East mayoral elections as well. So, we've just had these local elections, voter turnout generally I think wasn't great.

I know in the North East it was about 30% overall and I think there's this real thing of people going, well what's the point? What's the point in voting? It never makes any difference. I don't trust any of them and things like that. And that was really what I wanted to have in our discussion, was a little bit about why it's important for us to vote and this new thing about voter ID, because even Boris Johnson was caught out by voter ID at local elections.

So, kind of from your perspective, have you always voted? 

Loujane Alasi:

I have and it was something that my dad always sort of pushed me towards doing, even on days where I was like, I really don't want to go at the end of the work day or whatever. And he was like, no, just go and vote. It's the very least that you can do as a citizen of this country.

So, he's always pushed me to vote and he's always pushed all of us in the family to go and vote. It's having a voice and having a say at the end of the day, that was really the most important part of it all. 

Steph Edusei:

Yeah, and my daughter, it was her first chance to vote this year because she turned 18 and I was on her back saying, we're going to vote, we're going to vote.

And I said, I don't care who you vote for, that's not true, I do. But actually, the important thing is that you use that vote and that you make your voice heard, because you never know when those few votes will make the difference. 

Loujane Alasi:

Yeah, and I think we've seen a few times that the deciding votes were the two votes that allowed someone to win.

And it's being able to get to a polling station is the biggest hurdle I find, once you're there. Yes, it doesn't matter who you vote for as long as you vote, but like I said, it really does at the end of the day. But it's just being able to go there and have the chance to vote as well that is important.

Steph Edusei:

So, I've got some kind of facts and figures here, because I think people might not realise just how much of an issue it is. So according to the Electoral Commission and the Joint Committee on Human Rights Inquiry into Black People, Racism and Human Rights, voter registration was very, very different across different ethnicities. And it was much, much lower amongst ethnically minoritised communities compared to their white counterparts.

So just to kind of show that, so this is just to register, this is not voting, just to show that people from white backgrounds, about 84% of people from white backgrounds who are eligible to vote actually are registered to vote. But if you come from what they class as other ethnic groups, it's 62%. So, you know, kind of already got a 22% difference in registrations.

So really quite different levels across the different ethnic groups. And this is the thing, if you're not even registered to vote, you may as well give up. You can't vote, that's it, you're automatically out, you can't take part.

And I do wonder how much of that do you think is down to the fact that people don't realise that they should register, don't know how to register, and how much of it is down to people just not seeing the point in registering? 

Loujane Alasi:

I think a lot of it comes down to the assumption. I would assume that you're automatically enrolled. I didn't know that you have to go and fill in a form or apply to vote in the first place, but I was lucky enough that my dad did know.

But I don't think a lot of people know that you have to register in the first place, because in my opinion, it's your right as a citizen of the country. So why do you need to apply to have your right to partake in the voting system anyways? So yes, a big part of it is not knowing that you need to register. Just looking at the deadlines as well, the deadline to register is the 18th of June.

So, there's still some time if anyone hasn't had a chance to register to vote. So, it's, yeah, a big part of it is not knowing that you need to register. But I think that also now with the voter ID, sort of the stipulation to be able to vote in the first place has played a role in voter registration.

Taking your driving licence, a passport with you to a polling station just seems like an extra barrier that doesn't really need to exist in the first place. 

Steph Edusei:

Yeah, yeah. And we'll come on a bit more on to voter ID in a little while, because I think you're right, there is that thing of actually, if you don't know that you need to register to vote, then you just wouldn't.

And I think it's probably quite a normal assumption to make, well, I'm 18, I'm a citizen of the country, I can vote, why would I not be able to? There is, of course, this thing of if you register to vote, it's then, it's actually really beneficial in terms of credit and things like that, because you're on the electoral roll, which is one of the things that banks and the like will check when you're applying for a bank account or credit and stuff like that. So, some real benefits in terms of that. But also, it does trigger council tax.

So, if you're not paying council tax at the moment, you are breaking the law. But actually, once you register to vote, then the council knows that you're there and will then say, oh, there needs to be council tax paid on this property. And you're the person or the people that are at that house that are liable to for it.

But yeah, I mean, I think that thing of, I wonder how much of it is a bit of suspicion as well, because you are giving over quite a lot of really important data. And some of us have come from backgrounds where that's not a good thing. So, there might be a little bit of kind of suspicion of authority and the establishment around that as well.

Loujane Alasi:

I think also students as well, especially if it's sort of tied to location. And if you're a student who is moving to a new city to study, it just seems like, again, another barrier or another hurdle for them to overcome. 

Steph Edusei:

Apparently for students, what you should do is register in both places, but you can only vote once.

So, you vote wherever you happen to be in. But there's other things that we can do as well that we can talk about. 

But then, so you get registered. There is then that question of, well, why should I bother anyway? Why should I vote? And again, huge, huge differences in the numbers of people voting. Figures aren't quite so precise on this because this is about people who declare that their intention to vote. But again, much lower amongst ethically minoritised communities that intention to vote than in white communities.

So really, we're kind of opting out of the management of our society in doing that. I think there's probably a few things that might be involved in that. And there is this, we were talking about just earlier, well, why bother? You know, they don't listen to me.

They don't represent me. What we're hearing a lot at the moment, whether or not, you know, is, well, they're pretty much the same. Typically, the two major parties, people are going, well, there's not that much difference between them.

I think there probably is difference between them if you actually look at what they're saying. But yeah, there is this kind of thing of, oh, well, they're all the same and it never changes for me. So why should I bother? 

Loujane Alasi:

Yeah, I feel like that's a tactic used by the media to desensitise the public from taking part in voting.

Like you said, if they're both the same, then you're like, oh, what's the point of going out and even bothering to vote? Especially now we're hearing the same narrative, they're all the same. One party is copying the other one or there's no difference between either party. And I think it is, unless you get into the nitty gritty of the policy that they're wanting to put into place, you don't really see it.

It is a tactic essentially of politics, the media to desensitise the public from taking part in the in the first place. OK, so let's talk a little bit more about that, because that's really interesting that kind of actually, despite what's said, they don't want the average person to vote. Well, that's the assumption that I sort of see it as, because the minute that you desensitise the everyday person, then you have a select pool of people who you just have to focus on and you've got your target audience that you need to sort of persuade.

But the minute that you stop bothering trying to persuade the majority and you've automatically desensitised them, then you don't put all that effort into getting them on board, essentially. 

Steph Edusei:

Yeah. And it's really interesting because I think when you look at people who tend not to vote, it tends to be people who are in lower socioeconomic groups, people who are younger, people who are ethnically minoritised.

Now, actually, you're more likely if you are younger and in a lower socioeconomic group, you're more likely to be ethnically minoritised anyway. So, you kind of, the three go quite tightly together. But there's something about if you're less likely to vote and I want to win an election, why would I bother appealing to you? I could put loads of effort into creating things that are designed to meet your needs and talking about that and really going for that. But you're not going to vote anyway. So, what's the point? 

Loujane Alasi:

Exactly. Exactly.

Steph Edusei:

Whereas if you look at one of our parties, they know that older people will vote. The older you are, the more likely you are to vote. They know that white people are more likely to vote.

So actually, what they're doing is they're talking about stuff that are more likely to appeal to older white people. So, there is this thing and I think this is why it's really important people understand that if we use our vote, people have to listen to us. Even if the people we vote for aren't the people who get in power.

Loujane Alasi: 

Yeah, 100%. 

Steph Edusei: 

Because actually we can then influence an election if we're voting. So, they have to say stuff and think about what our needs are and think about what our wants are and cater to them.

So, this whole thing of, well, why bother? Well, bother because if we do vote, they've got to listen to us. Even if we don't vote for them, they've still got to listen to us because we become an important part of that process. Yeah.

Loujane Alasi:

And if we don't bother as well, we're sort of surrendering to the status quo. We're not challenging the everyday. We're not creating change.

I read somewhere from someone about voting doesn't really impact the everyday person or it doesn't impact our lives, especially if you run a business. And I was like, well, it impacts us on a very basic, essential level. The fact that you would think that it doesn't tells me that it comes from a place of privilege.

For you to tell me that it's not really important or you just shrug it off as not necessary just speaks of a place of privilege and a place of, I don't know, not arrogance, but also arrogance as well to shrug it off because every single policy that is put into place is decided by Parliament. It's decided by the MPs. And if we don't challenge them or if we don't get the right people into those positions, we're going to end up harming ourselves even more than we currently are.

You know, whether it's child poverty, education, even the cost of food and travel, all these things affect us on an everyday basis. And to say that voting doesn't affect us or doesn't have an impact on our lives. Again, it just makes it seem as though it's just an added bonus of taking part.

Whereas in reality, you know, every single person has a chance to influence our life as a society, as a nation. And it's very, very important. I think we really do need to get as many votes out there as possible.

If we are united in the votes, that's great. But just to be able to vote in the first place and to have a say and for our voices to be counted, each and every vote makes a huge difference. So, it's really important.

Steph Edusei:

It is. And I think that thing of all of the things you've just said, but if you're in the fortunate position, not having to worry about money, for example, let's say your kids are grown up. So, you don't have to think about education and stuff like that, the roads that we drive on, the politicians decide where they are, how they are, how they're maintained, speed limits, everything. The cars that we drive, politicians make decisions about what types of cars we can or can't have in this country. The taxes that we pay, the healthcare we receive.

And then to say, well, actually, I'm OK. So, what's happening to people who are poorer doesn't affect me at all, is completely wrong. And there's been some really great research that shows that in societies where things are economically fairer, everybody does better.

So, I think you're right, this whole thing of, well, it doesn't affect me, politics doesn't affect me, is wrong. 

Loujane Alasi:

Yeah. And we see a lot of bickering as well, especially now, now that it's getting to the point of election day. A lot of bickering, a lot of childish behaviour, I would say, from most parties. As a young person or a younger person, you'd look at it and you'd think, well, are these people really running our country? It just, again, desensitises you to the levels that we have to choose from or the politicians that we have to choose from. And again, it makes you not want to take part in the whole drama and the whole theatrics of politics and the show of it all as well.

Steph Edusei:

And I think it's interesting, because you mentioned about the media. I think that it's fed by the media because the media wants short, snappy, explosive stuff, soundbites. Policy can't be explained in 30 seconds normally, or not in any depth. So, what you get is a really superficial soundbite. Somebody will go at that. And so, you get registered to vote, you go with the intention of voting, and then you do a Boris. You turn up at the voting station and you haven't got your ID. 

So, voter ID was introduced last year, I think. Really controversial that this was introduced. It was brought in apparently to stop voter fraud. Voter fraud in this country is minuscule, but that was the banner that it was brought in under. And I am going to be a bit party political here.

I'm fairly certain I know why this was brought in, because for most people, the forms of ID that you can use are things like driving licence, passport, some travel passes, but mainly senior citizen travel passes, and blue badges, and things like a proof of age standard scheme, which nobody really uses. So, you've got to be reasonably wealthy, and you're probably going to be of a certain age to have passport, driving licence, certainly a senior citizen travel card, and things like that. So, if you are poor, you're probably not going to drive, probably not going to have a passport, because you're not going to be travelling abroad.

You are less likely to have any of these forms of photographic ID. So immediately, whilst you can vote, and you can be registered to vote, you can't vote because you haven't got ID. So, what they did was they've introduced a voter authority certificate, and then haven't really told anybody about it, which I think is a genius move.

I was expecting billboards, TV campaigns, really targeted stuff to young people, and they're like, but no, we get virtually nothing at all. And the voter authority certificate, I could just call it voter ID, you can get with your photo, so digital photo, taken on a phone, and national insurance number, go online, and you can access that by the UK government. If you just search voter ID, free voter ID, it comes up.

But you can also go to your local council office, and they'll be able to help you get it as well. So really, really simple to get, but the deadline for applying for that is the 26th of June. So again, you've got to get a move on if you want to have that ID, and it's essential.

Loujane Alasi: 

And it's interesting that it's digital as well, because we've got a high rate of digital exclusion, particularly here in the North East. A lot of households are digitally illiterate, and they don't have access to the digital devices, and they don't have access to internet. And we also have terrible internet here in the North East at the minute.

So again, it plays into that, if you're poorer, the likelihood of you taking part in voting is really low. And now that you have to have a ID, and then to apply for a digital ID, you have to be, you have to apply for it online, or you go to the council. I didn't know you could go to the council to get that.

Steph Edusei:

You can do it by post as well, but I haven't been able to find out how you get the stuff that you, how you find out about a applying by post, other than going online. So, it's kind of, yeah. 

Loujane Alasi: 

Yeah, again, it's another barrier to hold back from people to vote.

It goes back to democracy. What is democracy? Is this democratic in the first place? Should our system be set up this way? Otherwise, are we really democratic? As democratic as we think we are, if we're starting to introduce these policies and these barriers. Voter fraud, like you said, is very miniscule.

It's about barriers, it's about stopping people from taking part. But we're here to challenge that and to sort of hopefully get more people to vote. 

Steph Edusei:

There's only two or three ways that you can vote.

You go to a polling station, you show your ID, you give them your name, they cross you off the list, you go into a booth, you make your mark, or marks on paper, and you then physically put that paper in the box. That's one. Two is you can apply for a postal vote.

And I've had a postal vote for years, but because I've moved house, I didn't actually get a postal vote this time around. So, it's the first time I've been in a polling station for years. The reason I got a postal vote is I don't always know where I'm going to be on polling day, or what I'm going to be doing.

So, with a postal vote, you apply for it, you get it each time there's an election, you complete it, pop it in an envelope, post it off. But if you then you know, oh, I'm actually gonna be around on polling day, you can physically take it to the polling station and drop it off there. So, there's that, you can do a postal vote.

And the third one is a proxy vote. So, for, for example, my dad, he's quite often overseas, when there's an election, he can give a proxy vote to one of us. And we can then vote on his behalf.

And you can apply for all of them quite easily. Postal vote, you have to apply by the 19th of June. And a proxy vote and the voter authority certificate, the voter ID is the 26th of June.

So, there's no reason physically why you shouldn't be able to vote. Getting to the polling station is not a barrier to voting. The voter ID could be, you don't need the voter ID if you do a postal vote, but your proxy will need voter ID if they're going to do a proxy vote for you.

So, if you're, if you're kind of going, oh, I haven't got time to get one, or I'm going to find it difficult to get the voter ID, actually having a postal vote might be a solution for this election, and then sort out the voter ID for future ones. 

Loujane Alasi: 

Lots of options. But again, 

Steph Edusei:

Loads of options.

Loujane Alasi:

Again, they depend on a lot of, they make assumptions that A, you can, again, you can speak the language, or you can write, write, write English, or you can understand English. Again, that's a whole different conversation. Again, digital, being able to go, whether it's post something in the post, or even going to a polling station, a lot of them are inaccessible.

So, you've got those issues as well. But the option is there. It's just making use of those options and being registered and having that voice.

Steph Edusei:

And I, I have to confess real disappointment in a lot of charity sector organisations, and in the wider kind of Black, ethnically minoritised community in the UK, because I would have expected there to have been more done around voter ID, and getting people registered, and getting people their photographic ID last year, because we've known we were going to have a general election, and there's been virtually nothing done as far as I can see. I always think when we had COVID, and we had COVID vaccinations, and uptake amongst ethnically minoritised populations was low. And the work was put in in the North East that I was aware of, to make it easy for people to get vaccinated and to get information and have conversations was really quite significant.

But on something like this, which is our right to vote, there's been nothing. 

Loujane Alasi:

Yeah. And I think in the Muslim community, the Muslim Council has set up a load of content that local mosques can use.

They've even got like information about how to set up hustings in the community. But nobody in the North East is taking it on. You see it down South, Birmingham, London, Manchester, even Yorkshire, but nothing up North, well North East based, which is again disappointing, especially since, you know, we've just had the mayoral election.

And again, even that was very, I didn't really see much from the Muslim or the Black and global majority communities. So, it, yeah, it's disappointing, because it feels as though they've given up and don't want to be seen as being political as well. I think there's often a worry that by being political or being involved in politics, you start taking sides or you start voicing certain views.

But reality is, we're not here to tell people how to vote. We're just giving them, we're just letting them know of the information that's already out there and giving them the information that they need to have in an accessible way, because a lot of the information isn't accessible. 

Steph Edusei:

And this is one of the times when, you know, digital is great, and I think we need to have the videos and the TikToks and all that out there.

But a leaflet would be really useful as well, so that people can read, that people can talk to each other about it. That's the type of stuff that we need. It's that real community activism.

And with less than six weeks to go to the general election, it's going to be hard work. 

So, I'm just going to go over those deadlines again. So, 18th of June, by midnight on the 18th of June is your deadline for registering to vote.

Then to apply for a postal vote is 5pm the next day, the 19th of June. If you want to apply for a proxy vote or for the free photographic ID, it's the 26th of June by 5pm. And then polling day is the 4th of July.

And actually, on polling day, polling stations open 7am, close at 10pm. So, you can go before work, you can go after work, even if you're working shifts, it will be open at the time when most people can go. 

Loujane Alasi: 

I think, and also just sort of for anyone who hasn't been before, try to make it into a family event or bring a friend along with you, especially if you've got little ones, you know, try to make a habit of going together to instil those views and the values and sort of the comfort of being in a polling station.

So, it doesn't have to feel such an alien place when once you hit 18, it becomes a place of familiarity and a place that they can see themselves in as well. So that's make it an event, make it something that you enjoy and make it a habit of going together or taking a friend or just being a bit more comfortable in the place in the first place. 

Steph Edusei:

Yeah, we certainly, with my daughter, when we voted, I actually felt really proud of being able to vote alongside my daughter and explain to her what was going to happen and how to do it and things like that.

Very much it was that kind of, this is, this is a thing, this is significant. Casting that vote means we are using our voice. And I would say, even if you can't bring yourself to put a cross in any of those boxes, because you cannot stand any of the people that have put themselves forward, spoil your vote, go along and write on that paper to say you've spoiled your vote, because spoiled votes get counted as well.

And you are still then participating. If we go back to that thing of, if you are politically active by voting, people will start to listen to the things that you want and you need. So really, really important to do that.

Well, Loujane, thank you so much for that. I found it interesting. Hopefully people found it really useful.

It is so important that we use that right. If you don't use it, you lose it. And actually, we're seeing a bit of that where, where that democratic right is being eroded.

And it's particularly important, I think, for those of us who are from the global majority, who are ethnically minoritised, that we get over the apathy that we've had, the barriers there, the barriers that voter registration, all that type of thing may put in our way, because we need to do this. It is really, really important that we use our vote, because we are a growing part of this population. And people need to hear us.

Loujane Alasi:

Yeah, 100%. We need to go and vote. It's really as simple as that.

And if you don't know where, who to vote for, if you're a Muslim, there's an organisation called the Muslim Vote. They give you a breakdown of all the candidates and sort of tell you what their, what their policies are and vote. You have a voice and your voice should be counted for.

Steph Edusei:

And something that somebody once said to me was, if you're not sure who to vote for, vote for the person who will help the poorest and the weakest in society. Because if you don't know who to vote for, chances are it's not going to have a massive impact on you, but it'll have a huge impact on them. 

Great. Well, here's to the 4th of July. But first of all, 18th of June, first date, make sure you're registered and then everything can follow from there. Thank you again so much, Loujane.

Take care. 

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