As an election approaches, questions are inevitably asked about preference deals between political parties.

We all know how it goes. Who will preference who? In which seats? In which state? What impact will it have on the outcome? It can be very confusing. Ultimately, many voters feel left in the dark and worry their votes will be used to elevate a politician they never intended to support.

Essentially however, it’s all nonsense. Political parties don’t own your preferences. The electoral commission certainly doesn’t own them. There’s only one person on the entire planet who decides where your preferences go: you. Only you. No-one else. That power is yours alone.

Your vote is a precious and powerful thing, a fundamental right established and defended at great cost and sacrifice. We owe it to ourselves, our families, our communities and our country to exercise this power responsibly and carefully.

Democracy only works properly when all of its principles are diligently and dutifully followed. One of those principles is the responsibility of eligible voters to inform their votes by interrogating the claims, promises, policies and positions of the candidates asking for their votes. That means all of the candidates, and that includes to whom they might ask you to direct your preferences and why.

It sounds like quite a bit of work for a voter to do, and that’s because it is. Democracy isn’t easy and there’s absolutely no compelling reason why it should be. As any One Nation MP will tell you, it’s very hard work and like anything else that’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. The alternatives to democracy don’t bear thinking about, but until we start doing it properly we not only face perpetual disappointment in our governments and elected representatives. We face a real challenge to the survival of democracy itself.

One Nation won’t stand for it. We’re the only party with a written policy to defend and strengthen democracy, but this is most definitely something we can’t do alone. It’s most definitely something we should not do alone. It will require every Australian voter to step up and wield the power that is theirs as wisely and as responsibly as they are able.

Better informed voters result in better politicians and better government outcomes. It results in better accountability and transparency, less corruption, and even more accurate and truthful media. Ultimately, it results in a better Australia, and that’s something we should all be able to get behind.

But make no mistake, it starts with you.