That the election is approaching – and is approaching fast – can be confirmed by the number of politicians who are conducting what are known as house visits.

Members of Parliament who want to keep their seat and others who seek to take their place are constantly meeting individuals and families to – directly or indirectly – ask them for their vote.

Politicians try to visit as many houses as possible in the months leading to an election, pushing their political party but mostly pushing themselves in a bid to get a better chance of being elected.

Such visits are normally carried out in the late afternoon or early evening, possibly to find as many people at home as possible, although some politicians do their rounds in the mornings too.

There are some politicians who seek to meet only the people who they know will vote for their party (or for them), believing that it is a waste of time to try to persuade voters from the opposing party that they should change their preference.

Others are bolder in that they visit – or try to visit – everyone, believing that a good word might tempt the voters to show them appreciation, not by putting the Number One in their slot perhaps but by giving them the number five, eight or 10 that could ultimately be crucial for their election anyway, considering the way our electoral system works.

Some people accept politicians from all colours of the political spectrum in their home, perhaps thinking that nothing would be lost in making an acquaintance – you never know what you might need. Others feel more comfortable discussing issues with a politician who represents the party they normally vote for, and the diehards would never open the door to someone from the opposing party. Others still are simply not interested in meeting anyone, be it because they do not want to be associated with anyone or because they are not interested in politics at all.

There are then those who live in areas that are never covered by politicians. An election follows another and yet nobody turns up at the door for a 10-minute chat. Some might say that they are the luckier ones, but on the other hand, some of these people might feel neglected.

It is mostly the newer politicians who assiduously visit homes before an election in a bid to make themselves better known with the voters, many times asking for the Number Two preference if there is a “big gun” in their district against whom they know they cannot compete. Many established politicians, even because their time is limited, do not visit homes or visit a much smaller number than their younger counterparts.

Some might argue that in this day and age of technological advancement, and with so little time available for anything else other than work and family duties, house visits are more of a nuisance than a pleasure to the family being visited. But most politicians prefer to meet people person to person rather than send an email or pop a leaflet into the letter-box, although many of them still do anyway.

Such personal contacts are important for politicians, and this will enable them to learn more about that family’s life and the difficulties they might be facing. It is then very common for politicians to use the stories they hear to put forward their message when they speak publicly, obviously without referring to names.

House visits by politicians may be an old way of doing politics, but it still is an effective way for politicians to make themselves known to their electorate and get in touch with real-life situations.

The only snag is that politicians seem to be around and ready to help only when an election is on the way. They should remember the people who elected them more often during the legislature, and not only when this is nearly over.