When the Polls Are Quiet but WhatsApp Is Loud


When the Polls Are Quiet but WhatsApp Is Loud

Yesterday in Barbados, the ballot boxes were ready.

The polling stations were open.

The ink was waiting.


But the turnout?


Let’s just say… the line at Chefette probably had more traffic than some polling stations.


Now before anybody tightens up and says, “Here he goes getting political,” relax. This isn’t about red vs blue, bees vs whatever the other side is today. This is about something deeper.


This is about participation.


This is about ownership.


This is about whether we are spectators… or shareholders in our own country.

The Case for “Why People Didn’t Vote”


Let’s be fair. There are reasons people stay home.


Some will say:


  • “Nothing changes anyway.”
  • “They’re all the same.”
  • “My one vote doesn’t matter.”
  • “I’m busy.”
  • “I forgot.”
  • “I thought it was next week.” (Classic.)


And honestly? Some of those feelings come from real frustration. People get tired of promises. Tired of speeches. Tired of manifesto season sounding like Black Friday ads — “Everything must go!”


There’s also apathy. When things feel stable, people relax. When they don’t feel personally affected, they disengage. It’s human nature.


And then there’s the dangerous one:

“I’ll complain online instead.”


Social media has made everyone a Prime Minister in their own comment section. But typing “this country mash up” while sitting home on election day is like shouting instructions at the gym but refusing to lift the weights.


You can’t build muscle that way.


The Other Side: The Outcome Reality


Here’s the uncomfortable truth.


When turnout is low, decisions are made by a smaller slice of the population. That means:


  • A minority determines the majority’s direction.
  • Policy reflects those who showed up.
  • Leadership is shaped by the disciplined, not the loud.


And here’s the kicker:

If even half of the people who stayed home had voted, the results in certain areas could have looked very different.


That’s not theory. That’s math.


Elections aren’t decided by vibes.

They’re decided by numbers.


When you don’t vote, you don’t stay neutral. You shift power to those who do.

“I’m Not Into Politics”


Cool.


But politics is into you.


  • Your taxes?
  • Your pension?
  • Your business regulations?
  • Your healthcare?
  • Your children’s future?

That’s not yellow or blue. That’s life.


Saying “I’m not into politics” is like saying “I’m not into oxygen.”

You can ignore it. But it still affects you.



The Humorous but Serious Part


Let me say this gently… but also not gently.


If you didn’t vote, and today you’re complaining about the outcome?


You owe silence. 


Not forever. Just until the next election.


Because responsibility isn’t selective. You can’t skip the decision and then critique the result like you were on the committee.


And if you did vote? Respect. Whether someone agrees with your choice or not, you participated.


You showed up.


You exercised power instead of outsourcing it.


The Bigger Lesson (And Here’s Where It Gets Real)

This isn’t just about elections.


This is about life.


Every day we choose:


  • Speak up or stay silent
  • Act or procrastinate
  • Build or blame
  • Vote or scroll


Which leads me to something I’ve been hammering home in my book:


Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution – Which One Are You?


This election turnout is the perfect real-life case study.


Not voting isn’t evil.

But it is passive.


And passive behavior multiplied across a country becomes powerful.


If you want change — in business, in community, in leadership, in your own life — you don’t get it by spectating.


You get it by participating.


Imagine If…

Imagine if:


  • Every eligible voter showed up.
  • Every frustrated citizen chose action over commentary.
  • Every “nothing will change” turned into “let me try.”


Would outcomes shift?


Absolutely.


Would everything become perfect?


Of course not.


But the energy of a nation changes when its people decide they are owners, not tenants.

Final Thought

You are always choosing.


Choosing to act.

Choosing to delay.

Choosing to influence.

Choosing to disengage.


Barbados deserves citizens who show up — not just online, not just in conversation, but in action.


So if yesterday you stayed home… don’t beat yourself up.


Just don’t let it happen twice.


And if you’re serious about leveling up your mindset — not just politically, but personally — grab a copy of Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution.


Because the real election?


It’s the one you vote in every single day with your decisions.


Ballot box or not.

See book link here once again 


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