The sheer number of people who asked me who to vote for was astounding. Some claimed there were too many candidates to choose from, and others just didn’t care. 

But no doubt for the next four years the council will still get the same response – “bloody council”. 

Every day on The Examiner’s Facebook page we see the councils get blamed for issues they’re not responsible for.

“Oh, the Launceston General Hospital is a mess.” “Yeah, bloody council, hey”. 

“That amount of money on a park?! The council should fix that highway first.” 

Those are not ratepayer issues. They are taxpayer issues. 

“Bloody council” is a phrase we hear everyday. But, my question is: did you vote? 

About 47 per cent of eligible voters in the North did not vote. One could assume that even less of those were young people. 

I’ll admit, I was one of those young people and it wasn’t until I started reporting on councils that I realised how important it was to take notice of what your local council was up to. 

However, if you’re one of those people who could not even fill out a form that was literally delivered to your mailbox, then what right do you have to complain about those people who actually put their hand up to stand up for their region? 

Having “too many” candidates is a good thing. It shows people still care. 

And, even if there are “too many” candidates, they all seem to have one thing in common; a serious passion for their community. 

Young people need to start getting interested because the decisions being made in the next four years are the decisions affecting our future. 

There needs to be more education for young voters.

In high school I was taught how to fill out a voting card. It wasn’t until four years later that I actually had to fill one out. It’s all well and good to tell people they should vote, but they need to understand why it’s important to care.

When you ask someone if they voted their response is normally “why should I, they’re doing alright”.

But in their next sentence, after complaining there is a pot hole they hit on a state-owned highway every day when they drive to work, their response is assured to be “bloody council”. 

If people want change, they need to come out of the woodwork now.

There is no point waiting until an election is called in three years and 10 months and then start campaigning. Get out and get involved in your community now.