A simple explanation of why your vote matters

On 18 March 2015 I attended the Muslim Council of Britain's (MCB's) Leadership Dinner as a guest of the MCB. It is an excellent place to meet people you may not have seen for a long time.

During the reception I found myself having to "Sing for my supper." One of the MCB's team came and asked if I was willing to be recorded answering some questions. The first one was something like "Why should Muslims vote?"

My response, along with responses from some other people, have now been incorporated in a short 1 minute video published by the MCB on 31 March. Its title is "Muslim Vote 2015: Why your vote matters" but the messages are applicable to all citizens.

My message was very simple. "A very simple thing happens if you don't vote. Other people get what they want, and you don't get what you want."

In the UK Members of Parliament are elected to represent all of their constituents, whether they voted for the MP or not. As ballots are secret, the MP never knows who voted for him.

However if a candidate for elective office knows that someone will never vote, they will pay much less attention to that person's views, since that individual will play no part in deciding whether the candidate is elected.