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Do you know the value of your vote? Would you ever be prepared to forgo your right to vote? Or moreover, would you be prepared to sell it to make some money? And if so, how much would you sell it for?
This is the reality behind a bold, new campaign from FP7McCann for Annahar Newspaper, in the wake of the Lebanese elections on 15th May 2022, which aims to highlight the consequences of selling your vote.
We all know that some politicians pay money to get votes, this is not new! Vote buying is a disturbing trend in Lebanon, with many people having been offered money in exchange for their vote. And this is not talking about honour, your rights or patriotic pride – the real cost of selling a vote means that people could lose thousands of dollars in medical services, education, security, infrastructure, time and even dignity.
With votes being sold for as little as $100, the real consequences of giving away the right to vote will have far-reaching ramifications, that many people are not aware of in the quest to make some easy money. Also in the Lebanese state, it’s not uncommon for people to vote for a person purely because their family members have always done so or also because the person is from the same sect as them. This is also a form of ‘selling a vote’ as it is not given to the right people, who will give the value of their vote back.
All our lives we were told that our votes are priceless, but today the challenge of this campaign is to make Lebanese people aware that their vote has a price, a tangible price that they will lose if they don’t vote for the right candidate, because simply the wrong candidate will forget about them the moment they cast their vote.
To help people learn about the true value of the vote and to know how much closely their vote is worth, and how much they are losing when they sell it to the wrong people, FP7McCann has launched a creative campaign with a voting calculator, which uses a smart algorithm, where people can calculate the true value of their vote.
The smart algorithm calculates inflation, healthcare, education, life essentials, insurance and other expenses like paying for generators, due to the lack of electricity and other state failures.
The campaign has been launched across all social media and digital channels, and has been launched with a number of short films to highlight the value.
It is hoped that the campaign draws attention to the huge problem and urges people to think twice before they decide to part ways with their vote, as well as to help guide people to sell their votes for the correct price.
Tarek Miknas, CEO of FP7McCann MENA said: “This campaign is a good example of bravery. In order to create noise in a saturated space, you've got to steer away from the usual industry practices and start a different conversation.”
He continued: “We've all seen campaigns that appeal to Lebanese people's morality, asking them not to sell their vote. Unfortunately, none of them had a tangible effect on people. This time, we're approaching the same topic with a daring, provoking, and bold message that is already turning heads in our direction. Instead of telling the people of Lebanon not to sell their vote, we're telling them their vote is valuable, that it holds the future of their country and to use it wisely. Giving value to votes and proving their worth is without a doubt, the most effective and disruptive way to educate them on the difference they can make.”
People are being urged to go to se3erlsot.com to find out more.
