NEC: use your votes, use them well

The ongoing NEC elections are some of the most crucial and interesting in many years. They are the first to be conducted under a system which accurately represents members votes, and the first full internal elections under the new leadership of Keir Starmer.

The key questions the leadership will be asked by members over the last few years will start to find their answers here. Can Labour really become a place where discrimination and exclusionary behaviour finally pass into history? Can members win back some power from the big factional machines? Can those factions find common ground, or will the next few years be spent in spirals of tit for tat political attacks? Can Labour stay radical and democratic, but also be broad, friendly and professional? Our platform is clear.

Ultimately the answers to these questions will come from Labour’s membership as much as its politicians. It is our job to set the context. That is why it is crucial that you vote and make your own voice heard.

Open Labour is running a strong campaign across the country for Jermain Jackman and Ann Black in the members section. Alice Perry also needs support from Labour groups and Councillors, and George Lindars-Hammond will need your first preference if you are a member with a disability. If you know any Councillors or disabled members, please do try to persuade them to support Alice and George.

For us, getting Open Labour’s candidates the highest priority votes will be crucial, but these contests won’t be determined determined by first preferences alone. And whatever your views or affiliations, who is close to your politics matters as much as whether any candidate is a direct match. Under this system it is key to persuade people outside your support base, and to make sure everyone uses all their votes.

We are calling on all party members to:

– Make sure you vote for at least 9 candidates. Use your votes!
– Remember you can vote for more, and this can still make a difference
– Keep encouraging fellow members to vote. NEC elections often have low turnout, but we need as many members to be heard as possible.

Open Labour members can help our efforts:

– Persuade your friends and other local members to prioritise OL candidates
– Follow and share social media for Jermain Jackman, Ann Black, George Lindars-Hammond and Alice Perry
– Use at least 9 of your preferences, and post a status update to encourage other members to do the same

Between a third and a half of those planning to vote will now have done so, but every vote will affect the result of this contest, and we expect it to be tight.

Please make sure that you and those you know use your votes – and use them well!