IN theory, not far short of a quarter of a million people from the area covered by this newspaper could be casting their vote as soon as next week.

Past performance suggests that around 30 per cent won’t vote, for one reason or another, but I would expect us still to have a turnout above the national average.

I’m not going to presume to tell anyone on here how I think they should vote.

For one thing, I don’t think I’m allowed to; for another, I’d be wasting by breath.

Most will have already decided and, even if they haven’t, they’re not going to be swayed by me.

But I hope you do vote. I’m one of those who views the casting of the vote as a privilege, and a hard won one at that.

That’s why I feel that those who are currently in prison shouldn’t have the vote – part of the punishment for stepping outside of the bounds of society is that you lose your say for a while.

Sure, I did naff all to secure the vote beyond registering but it’s not that long ago that men and women were willing to sacrifice pretty much anything to secure their place in the democratic process.

So it seems a bit of a slap in the face to them just not to bother to vote at all.

You might not like any of the candidates but spoiling your paper makes that point and at least gets it registered.

If you stay away, who knows what you think? Who cares?

You might think you’re making some important point by not engaging with the process but most of the rest of us just see someone who couldn’t be bothered.

Some people argue that voting should be made compulsory. But how could that happen?

Would we be treated to the sight of a posse of Vote Enforcement Officers dragging a kicking and screaming miscreant from their homes into the polling booth, forcing a pencil into their hands and saying “now, remember to vote for just one candidate by placing an ‘x’ against their name”?

There are non-voters who, quite rightly, claim that what was won was the right to vote … not the obligation.

There are some who claim that the system we have is democracy in name only, but that’s a separate discussion.

Sometimes I find myself getting quite annoyed when people say they’re not going to vote.

But why should I? Every vote that is not cast increases the proportional importance of my own contribution.

But much as I might like to see the logical corollary where I’m the only person who votes and thereby I choose who runs the country and how, even I’m not convinced that’s a great idea.

Exile or imprisonment for Chelsea fans, people who put their feet on the seats on buses and those who fling litter might seem reasonable to me but democracy gives us checks and balances.

All candidates have people who agree with their policies.

Each has someone who considers their ideas wrong or misguided. The more people who vote, the more this sort of thing should be ironed out.

I’m mostly preaching to the converted here; most of us value and cherish our vote and we make sure we use it.

And when all’s said and done, if we don’t exercise our right to vote, we forfeit another right – the right to moan about the results.