Canada • Elction

Change the despair-o-meter!

SEE felt a surge of optimism in the middle of the campaign, but as discussions about strategic voting wore on and the utter absurdity of nurturing a meaningful national debate in a month’s time became clear, our spirits dropped.

The whole system seems flawed, from the apathetic non-voters straight up to the incumbent prime minister himself.

The vote-swapping websites underscored how disconnected the federal election is from the actual communities electing representatives. That some Canadians would trust a total stranger at the other end of the continent to vote for a particular party in a secret ballot shows how little they trust candidates, and how divisively partisan Canada has become.

But we are determined to be practical about this election, so in the next two items, we’ll explain how citizen action and a couple of minor reforms would fix a lot of what ails Canadian democracy.

Just Vote!

While Canada’s electoral system certainly isn’t a model of democracy, it’s not as bad as having to fight a messy civil war to change the government.

Voting really isn’t that complicated, and you don’t need a doctorate in political science to make a good choice. Simply consider which party best represents your values, and which local representative would do the best job of carrying out those values.

Don’t worry about splitting the vote, or about making a compromise by voting strategically. Do what you want. The voter is always right.

Failing to vote, on the other hand, is a complete abdication of your responsibilities as a citizen. As Ken Chapman, a local public policy developer, said at a recent democracy town hall in Glenora, “If you are afraid to take your franchise, then screw you, you don’t deserve it.”

Change The System!

Here are numerous reasons why citizens don’t vote, and it’s not because people are that lazy.

For one thing, Canadian elections are far too short for substantive debate. The month-long campaign period lends itself to the announcement-a-day, six-second sound-bite discussions that really only reinforce voters’ previous assumptions. So, first order of business on Oct. 15 should be sorting out some way of lengthening election campaigns — whether that means a stricter fixed election law or an extension of the campaign period.

And abstentions should be forbidden. (We’re looking at you, Liberals.) Canadians elect you to vote, we pay you to vote, we expect you do your job. Otherwise, you should resign.

Wait. Sorry — practicality was our original goal...

How about a day off? Make the next election a national holiday. Everyone loves a day off, and some people might even use it to vote.