On the exercise of my franchise.

I did some tweeting this morning. Among the flurry of words were the following snippets:

I believe strongly in the importance of voting, but there is no one on the ticket I can bring myself to vote for.

I will not vote for a NI party that views the union/border as a defining issue. That’s the politics that made NI what it is today.

In Lagan Valley, I immediately ruled out candidates from the DUP, the UUP, the TUV, the SDLP and Sinn Féin, because see above. The Alliance candidate put me right off with his abstention from the recent marriage equality vote. The independent candidate? Well. Anyone who knows me won’t even ask about UKIP.

I could have voted Tory, but I have a basic belief that people are generally decent and deserve the benefit of the doubt.

I walked into the voting booth not knowing whether I would spoil my ballot or actually cast a vote for someone. Once ensconced, I decided to vote for the candidate I reckoned was the least terrible option.

I’ve spent today regretting that decision.

But voting is important. Really important. It matters. Even when there’s no-one to vote for, showing up is essential. The best of a bad lot might be the reluctant preference, or the best might be to spoil a paper.

I just don’t know.