I have already voted, so you can stop haranguing me with "suggestions" on how you think I should arrange my ticks. It's done; you no longer have a say.
I have read what I felt I needed to read and I have voted accordingly. My conscience led me to what I felt was the right conclusion.
But still you try to force your opinions on me. Still you spend huge amounts of advertising money to make me change my mind. Too late.
There is a chance your publicity had an effect on my subconscious, but short of hypnotherapy, I'll probably never know. The fact is, I voted for the political candidate and the political party as my ethics, morals and intuition suggested. If they were wrong, I can only blame my upbringing and a few thousand environmental influences. But, it's too late, anyway. I've ticked the boxes and put the ballot papers in the slots.
I made a decision regarding the End of Life Bill and put my tick in the place I thought right. I won't say how I voted because someone will be offended and will try to change my mind ... but it's too late for this referendum. That ship has sailed.
The legalisation of marijuana is also a matter of informed conscience. It's taking into account all the published information, the TV shows and interviews, letters to the editor and general conversation, and then going with what I think and feel is right. If you think it's wrong, I'm sorry, I've already ticked the box.
I have come to the conclusion that voting early is unfair on those whose job it is to make you think or feel a certain way. All of their efforts are in vain if half the population gets to the polling booth early. That's a lot of wasted advertising money and fruitless ear bashing.
Of course, there are advantages too: no queues or crowds; vote at your leisure to suit your timetable. And if you've already voted, you might have noticed there were no party faithful at the door trying a little last minute influence.
Once upon a time we had a voting day. It was an occasion, like going to town or planning a picnic. You almost felt like dressing up for it. Some did. You knew where your local polling booth was because you followed the crowds and then you milled around outside, chatting to all and sundry before getting around to the whole point of the visit.
Your friends would be there and there would always be representatives of the major political parties, if not the candidates themselves, vying for that last minute plug and hoping to sway the swinging voter. It was like a gala day without the stalls and coconut ice. Perhaps voting should have been done by spinning jenny. Chance would be a fine thing.
It looks like those days are gone. Now we might go to the same polling booth but the crowds are thin, your friends have either been and gone or haven't got around to it yet, and you'd be lucky if any party representative was willing to give up their time in the hope of seeing someone swingable.
There is also a rule now that you can't campaign within 10 metres of an advance voting place and you can't actively campaign on voting day itself (October 17).
Now the booths open early, people vote when they get a chance and the whole sense of occasion has been sacrificed on the altar of convenience.
Will it result in a higher voter turnout? The figures will be interesting. If so, then the exercise is worth it, because more of us should exercise our democratic rights and responsibilities — in this case, the same thing. If not, what have we gained?
Allowing voting over an extended period imbues canvassing with a sense of panic and a realisation that there is too little time to press a point.
People like me are no longer listening and even if you do convince us one way or another, we can hardly return to the polling booth and tell them we changed our mind! We're stuck with it, you and me both.
Campaigning starts at a fixed date, a certain number of weeks out from an election, except if the election day is fluid, where does the fixed date fit? If it is a certain number of weeks out from the final day of voting, but actual voting starts two weeks earlier than that, candidates have less time to hammer home their advantage and convince us they are the chosen ones.
And what is it about hoardings? Most are limited by legal, available space, so you end up with every party and candidate advertising on the same piece of paddock. That's nothing but confusing and there is no discernible point of difference in a row of boards.
I feel for them, but I have already voted. All of their campaigning, as far as I am concerned, is pointless. And I am not alone. How many people are now ignoring the pushing, prodding, cajoling, persuading, arguing, debating and lecturing because it no longer concerns them?
Apparently, a large number of us. We are legion, and we are already decided. More than that, we have registered our decision at the polling booth. Your campaigning no longer has an effect and if we have ticked the wrong boxes we only have ourselves to blame.