by Cantebury City Council chief executive Colin Carmichael

So after all the television debates and interviews, the manifesto launches and the many leaflets through the door, we’ve finally made it to election day.

A good majority of people who are eligible to vote will take part in the democratic process today, but sadly there will be many who do not.

For those who are unsure whether to take that short trip to the polling station before it closes at 10pm, here are three good reasons why I believe you should.

First, if you haven’t bothered to vote, you’ve got absolutely no basis to complain if decisions are taken over the next few years that negatively affect you. You had the chance to influence the process and you didn’t take it.

Second – and this is particularly relevant in the city council and parish council elections – every vote counts.

In my role as Canterbury’s returning officer, I have overseen many counts over the years in which the majorities have been tiny. On several occasions, just one vote has separated some candidates.

Gazette readers with longer memories may remember the city council election in 2003, when we had to have five recounts in Barton ward and we were the last council to declare its result in the whole country.

Not only did that determine which candidate was elected in Barton; it also decided which political party ran the whole council.

A case where every single vote really did matter.

And third, voting is your chance to be a part of your local community and help shape its future. It’s where you live, so have pride in it, play your part and make a difference.

We will be counting the general election tonight and the city and parish council elections during Friday.