Election Options

by Angela Sanford

We’re a little over a week form the election of my lifetime (thus far and my by my opinion). This federal election has become a battle in more ways than one: first, it’s a battle of the potential MPs, it’s a battle of opposing community members, it’s a battle against ourselves, and lastly, but not least, it’s a battle of information.

   What is fact? What is opinion? Who’s right? Who’s wrong? The tension and anxiety are escalating daily, and emotions are running high.

   The way I see it we have four options on April 28th – we can vote for a political party, a person, destroy our ballot or not vote at all. Let me rephrase that - we have three options because not voting at all, in my opinion, is not an option. I’ve recently seen data suggesting that if NO VOTE was a political party option on the ballot it would be the dominant party in almost every province and territory. That saddens me to say the very least. Surely, considering the global context we are not and cannot be that apathetic these days.

   The second alternative is to vote for a particular party; sometimes a long-standing family tradition. It would be an easier choice if there were a party I could fully commit to, in response to their political platform. Each party has a platform for which I have areas I can easily support and statements I find apprehensive. There is not a party upon which I could base my vote and be wholly pleased, but realistically, would/could anyone ever be entirely pleased with everything? Unlikely, so I partake in option number 3 – voting for a candidate.

   I make a concerted effort to learn about each candidate, evaluate their past contributions to my community (inside and outside of having a seat to represent us), consider their proposals for our future and while I can’t claim to be clairvoyant and predict their ultimate success in the long term, I do my best to make an educated choice that aligns with where I am on my journey at that point in time. Still, being 100% happy is unlikely, and admittedly I have in the past voted sometimes for the person I saw as the “best of the worst” options available on my ballot – the person I felt would do the least damage, if you would.

   But even then, voting for the person has not always worked for me – I’ve studied my options and thought, “I don’t think so,” and then I engaged in the final alternative for voting – destroying my ballot. By doing this, I’ve expressed my displeasure in the leadership options I was faced with without demonstrating apathy and saying, “ I don’t care who gets in,” because I DO care, I care very much, just not for those running at that time. 

   I had a quick exchange with a community member earlier this week on this same topic. She suggested that both she and her daughter planned to vote for a candidate who they deemed, “was very unlikely to win.” My question, in return was, “How will you feel if everyone does the same and, in turn, that person is actually elected?? Will you be alright with that person for your leader?” While she clearly felt this was next to improbable, it is a possibility and is therefore a choice that I am not comfortable with. 

   So, I’m faced with two choices – a candidate who I feel is best or destroying my ballot to make the statement that none of the candidates aligns with my values and vision of the community. I have a few more days to weigh out the candidates before me and mark my ballot accordingly and I will continue to educate myself on each of the registered candidates before entering the poling station and making my voice heard.

   This election has been emotionally charged and that, in part, is exhilarating. It means we are not apathetic; we are empowered to express ourselves - though I might suggest that generally we could be more civilized by times especially on social media. Hopefully, this charged collective voice will, in turn, bring a strong voter voice that can be heard above the emotion when the numbers are counted.