Today, Tuesday, May 5, we have a job to do.
It’s not spring cleaning, unless you’re one for metaphors. Our task is simple — we must go and discharge our duty as enfranchised citizens of a free democracy by voting in the provincial election.
It doesn’t matter who we vote for, we should just go and vote. It’s our obligation and it should be our pleasure.
Participation in the democratic process is a privilege — we think it’s our right, but it’s not.
One of the things we entrust in our elected officials is that they won’t rule by tyranny. By doing our duty and voting, we ensure the best people for the job and they continue to endorse the free democracy that we enjoy.
It’s a basic system. To win government you have to please the majority and it turns out a majority of people don’t want to be pushed around by a tyrant.
But don’t forget there are places where people have no say in the process that governs their lives. We should remember them and not take the privileges we have for granted.
If every enfranchised person in this fair province approached our democratic process with the view of, ‘Who am I going to vote for?’ rather than, ‘Will I vote?’ we’d all be a lot better off.
It would change our political system.
Elections would go from being about parties turning out supporters at the ballot box, and become issues based.
The Machiavellian machinations of our ruling elite should not be our focus. An election shouldn’t be about which party’s behavior during the last term is least palatable.
It should be about who has the best plan for our roads, our school and our healthcare system.
If everyone goes to vote, politicians will be a lot less confident of getting your vote and they’ll work harder for it.
Not voting helps a small group of engaged people get what they want, with less accountability.
We’re not going to pull the old chestnut and say ‘If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.’ If you’ve paid tax you get an automatic right to bemoan our government. But if you vote, your opinion becomes infinitely more potent.
Vote because you like a candidate, vote because you dislike a candidate. Vote for the party whose platform you most agree with, or vote against the party you find most repugnant. Simply, just vote.
