Letter: This Election Matters Too Much Not to Vote
Reader Lois Walton appeals to community members to vote strategically, warning of "dangerous and chaotic times ahead" if we stay on the same path.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Over the years, I've talked to people who are disheartened or disillusioned about the choices for elected officials. The extremely low voter turnout reflects that.
I sometimes feel that there isn't much choice either, but I vote for the person I think will do the best job possible to keep what we have and strive to improve our society. I have voted for just about every party throughout my lifetime, sometimes for the local candidate and sometimes for the leader of the party.
Right now, we don't seem to have a John Crosbie, Jean Chretien, Jack Layton, Eddie Sargent or Charlie Angus (Charlie has indicated that he is not running this time around — our loss) to vote for. Shoot from the hip, yet charismatic leaders, who inspire.
If you choose not to vote, you deserve what you get — loss of health care funding in favour of privatization, lower education standards, loss of farmland which is so important for food security, and loss of funding for people with special needs. I suspect you may then complain greatly about what you don't get.
The rest of us don't deserve that!
In these two upcoming elections, we also face threats we didn't think we'd see in our lifetime: someone threatening our sovereignty, not just from without but from within.
Personally, I think dangerous and chaotic times are ahead if the conservative party wins the elections. Please consider voting strategically. Smartvoting.ca is an excellent resource.
Lois Walton
Owen Sound
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
Thanks for this Lois. I have already voted: strategically. I love this part of the country but find it upsetting that the prediction on smartvoting.ca is that our riding will blindly vote conservative both provincially and federally. I use the word ‘blindly’ because I think people who pay attention would understand the consequences of this choice.
Lois Walton’s letter is dead on. We shall continue to have these frustrations with the existing electoral system which puts the voter in the position of having to ‘vote strategically’ in order for one to think that there might be a chance to get the government we can trust. As we have seen in the country to the south, first-past-the-post elections don’t do it. Electoral reform is needed. And it is needed NOW. Beverly Morley