IT MAY not seem like it, but it has been four years since York voters last had the chance to express an opinion on who they believed should run their city.

It was way back in 2003 that electors voted Labour out and the Lib Dems into power on City of York Council.

Some might think that the passage of those years would have given voters plenty of time to decide who will get their support when they go to the polls in just a fortnight from now.

Not necessarily. Many voters in York have yet to make up their minds on who should be in control.

A poll of 100 prospective voters interviewed by The Press has revealed a third of those who intend to vote in the forthcoming council elections still have not decided which party to support.

Experts at the University of York, however, are not surprised by our poll's findings.

Senior politics lecturer Dr Neil Carter says there is a growing trend for people to make up their mind at the last minute, and that people are much less likely to identify closely with one party than they were 20 years ago.

That could be a sign that we are thinking harder about who should win our vote. So for the politicians, there is still everything to play for, and for we voters, now is the time to make our voice count.

The one thing we shouldn't do is not bother to vote.

Apathy is the enemy of democracy. It is the lazy surrender of a hard-fought-for right.

We each have a vote. We should use it - or accept we cannot complain afterwards when we have to live with the consequences.