home  Voting With a provincial by-election this Thursday in Scarborough-Rouge River and the federal government looking shaky, this seems like a good time to talk about voting. We all should be deeply disturbed that only six out of ten people bother to vote. Yet voting is one of the most important rights we enjoy as Canadians. If we don't like how we are governed, we don't have to take up arms to do something about it! And yes, your vote does make a difference. Even in our antiquated first-past-the-post system, your vote means something. For example, both the provincial and federal elections require candidates to get a certain percentage of the votes in order to qualify for various election refunds (15% in Ontario, 10% federally). Even if the election is a foregone conclusion, your vote can help your preferred candidate cover the cost of their campaign. And federally, each vote a party receives gets them $1.75 per year. That gives the party money to work towards the next election. Strategic voting now means voting for the party you want to win! Of course, with almost half of the people not voting, if everyone who wanted a particular party to win actually got out and voted, that party probably would win. Some people don't vote because they find politics "boring". Perhaps it is, but our governments affect virtually every aspect of our lives, from daycare, education, jobs, healthcare, pensions and homecare for seniors to energy, the environment and the air we breath. It stops being boring when someone you love is affected. And trust me, it will happen. Many people don't vote because they are fed up with the corruption and cronyism they keep reading about. Why vote, they ask, when all the politicians are corrupt? My reply is "what are you doing to correct the problem?" Edmund Burke once said that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. You don't have to be a Tommy Douglas or Preston Manning and start your own party, although that option is certainly open. You can also pick an existing party, join it, get involved in the riding association and make sure that it nominates good candidates and picks good leaders. But if that is too much work, you can at least get out and vote. Gary Dale |