Democracy from the Sofa: Why Slackers Should Still Vote

You can’t be bothered to leave the house, but the people who rearrange it very much can. A lazy person’s case for showing up.

There is a comforting myth among the professionally relaxed that politics is something that happens to other people. It is not. Politics is the set of decisions about your rent, your bus, and whether the park you nap in still exists next year.

Apathy is a vote — for whoever shows up

The uncomfortable maths of a low-turnout election is that power flows to the motivated few. Staying home doesn’t register as neutrality; it registers as a blank cheque handed to the most organised person in the room.

The minimum viable citizen

You don’t have to run for office. You have to:

• know who represents you,
• vote when asked,
• and occasionally send one angry email.

That’s roughly the effort of ordering a pizza, and the toppings last four years.