Voters railroaded

I AM writing in respect to the recent state election, when I was a volunteer handing out how-to-vote cards for my party at early voting centres and on polling day in Pakenham.
During this time I was witness to the deplorable actions of a number of parents who wanted to make their vote count as double or more, by railroading their adult children into voting for their preferred party by insisting that they took a specific how-to-vote card (usually by saying, “That’s the one you need!”).
In one instance, I actually saw one mother leaning over her daughter’s shoulder as she voted; I wonder how this woman would have reacted if I (illegally) strode in, stood next to her, and told her how to number her ballot papers.
As a young person who believes in and actively participates in the democratic system, it could be a distressing sight to see what were legal adults passively becoming mouthpieces for their parents’ political views, more often than not seeming to be unaware of what they were doing.
While I might suggest a law mandating the separation of parents and children in voting centres, this would only combat a small part of the problem.
The key is perhaps in education; in high school, students should be taught about the significance of voting, how our electoral system works, the importance of doing research on party policies, and above all, how to think for themselves.
It would be interesting to know how our election results might be different if this was in place.
After my experiences, I can say it’s ironic that when my peers are so often keen to assert their independence, many of them fail to do it where it’s most critical.
Just as well, I now feel privileged to come from a family that allows me to think freely and express my own views.
Jordan Mosley,
Maryknoll.