Tuesday 3 June 2014

“If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it.” Mark Twain



It makes for a great quip at parties or an attention-catching headline, but the reality in our country and in our province is that every vote makes a difference. I could give you all sorts of philosophical reasons why it is your responsibility to educate yourself and vote as a member of a democracy, but I am sure you have heard it all before and your cynicism remains intact. 

There are many common complaints and reasons why people choose not to vote. I would like to address only one of them here because it is one I have heard often and it has an easy answer… and that is fun. Very rarely do complex issues have easy answers.

Common opinions I have heard lately include:

“My vote doesn’t matter. The candidate I like best in my riding has no chance of winning and I don’t like the other options, so I am not voting at all.”

Or

“The candidate I really want is too small to matter and I don’t want to throw away my vote, so I am voting for whoever is going to win anyway, or not voting at all… we’ll see how I feel on June 12th.”

Your vote matters even if the candidate you want to vote for has no hope of winning in your riding. How is that? In Ontario Provincial Elections, a political party begins to receive money back to reimburse their election expenses if they win only 10% of the popular vote. Winning at least 10% also means candidates receive a refund of their candidate's deposit. The candidate also gets public money if he or she receives at least 15% of the vote. Every vote counts, even for minor candidates. 

What is that money good for? Running again. Having a stronger chance in the next election. Growing the political party. Public funding plays a huge role in Canadian politics and in the amount of power each of the major parties control. Public funding is determined by a breakdown of the popular vote in each election. Cut off some of the funding to the parties you disagree with and channel it toward someone you DO agree with, and your vote will have counted in a big way. As long as you vote properly without spoiling your ballot, you have not "thrown away" your vote. 

In this election people may say that it is more important to vote for whoever has a chance of beating each riding's conservative candidate. All power to them. That is also an election-day strategy that I could get on board with. But in my riding I happen to disagree with the platforms and principles of everyone who has a real chance of winning. "Everyone" being the Conservative, NDP and Liberal candidates. If your riding has a strong candidate from a party whose platform makes sense, then I am happy for you. In mine, I have decided the Green Party candidate is by far the strongest, and while I suspect (strongly) that he will not win, I am happy to give him my vote of confidence and contribute to the strengthening and funding of the Provincial branch of the Green Party. Their platform (mostly) makes a lot of sense on issues that I care deeply about. What more can you hope for, really? I would encourage people to check out EVERY candidate running in their riding before making their choice at the polls.

But, for the love of all things holy, please make a choice and go to the polls. Perhaps your strategy is bringing down the Conservatives because "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" or bolstering the strength of someone you actually agree with. Whatever your strategy in the next week as the polls continue to collect Ontarian votes, please come up with one. I would like everyone to vote in agreement with me. Obviously. And just as obviously that isn't going to happen. But as long as you have a reason for voting as you do, I can respect that. I can respect anyone's informed decision. You still have over a week. Please, if you haven't already, read up on your candidate options, party platforms, and make a decision. 

Please.


“A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.” Theodore Roosevelt



Further Reading:

  1. How your vote is worth money
  2. How and When to vote: Elections Ontario 2014