Pathetically Apathetic

Watching the news from Afghanistan as they are preparing for their elections, I couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed of a vast majority of Canadians and Americans.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban have placed threatening letters on mosques stating that citizens had better stay away from the polling stations and not bother to vote under threat of violence, kidnapping, or even death.

Some understandably are choosing to stay away and not vote, while many others will literally risk life and limb  in the process.

Insert my shame here.

Voter turnouts for municipal, provincial and national elections in Canada are pathetically low and have been for as long as I can remember.  I remember a media report from one particular election that almost celebrated a turnout that had reached 40 percent.  40 FREAKING PERCENT!  THAT is something to be PROUD of?

The excuses for not voting by the apathetic majority are equally lame.

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“I’m working on election day.”

Not only are there usually 2 advance polls set up for these individuals who are working on Election Day, employers BY LAW are required to give you time off in order to cast a ballot.  I am aware of businesses that even transport their employees to their voting stations to take part.

“I don’t know anything about the candidates.”

For a whole month, candidates are busy trying to let the public know about who they are and what they stand for in an effort to gain office.  There are public debates, news stories, door to door canvassing.  Basically, if you don’t know anything about the candidates, then you have purposely been ignoring them, which is ridiculous since these people are going to be making decisions on how tax dollars are spent and forming public policy.  Don’t you think it is in your best interest to, you know, FIND OUT WHO IS GOING TO BE RUNNING THE FREAKING SHOW?

“It doesn’t matter who I vote for because...”

There are a few different excuses given that start out this way so I will break them down.

“...all politicians are crooks.”

Now I have already admitted to a healthy distaste for politicians in the past and for good reason.  How many times does a person have to be promised something during a campaign, only to watch their elected representative either change their position or simply fail to follow up on it?  It happens far more times than I care to count.  It is NOT an excuse to avoid partaking in the process. 

“...the election is already decided by the time my votes are counted.”

This is a distinctly Western Canadian standpoint that I have heard.  The way our political system is designed, the majority of the seats in the House of Commons are filled with representatives from Ontario and Quebec.  They have the greater population of course and therefore need more representatives.  Very often in the past, the eastern provinces have voted one way and the Western provinces voted another (which incidentally ALWAYS leads to talk of Western Canadian separation.)  While it can be very frustrating for Western Canadians to deal with this fact, one should never take for granted that every seat...every vote could be the difference.  There are plenty of examples in history where seats have been won by the smallest of margins.

“...I don’t like any of the candidates/...none of the candidates represent my views.”

While I look at this as a bit of a copout, since there are usually so many candidates of varying opinions and beliefs that virtually everyone’s point of view has a representative, I have to accept that this indeed may be the case.  I STILL have an answer for you. 

Purposely ruin your ballot.

By ruining your ballot you let the government know none of these people have it right and none of them are deserving of my support.  It is a form of protest that is tangible and at the very least means that you have done your duty in the democratic process.

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I missed voting just once in my life.  It was my very first chance to vote.  I had just turned 18 and asked my mom to bring me down to the polling station so I could cast a ballot.  I was so excited for the opportunity.  I was an adult now and my voice and opinion actually MEANT something.  I studied the candidates’ platforms diligently and figured out who best represented the way I thought at the time. 

My mom said no.

An argument ensued.  I didn’t understand it.  This was a chance to have your say and my mom was completely disinterested giving me a couple of the excuses I had listed above as the reasoning for not taking me.  I fought very hard, but it wasn’t happening.

I was so disappointed, I actually cried (yes even then I was overly sensitive).  I swore on that day that I would NEVER miss out on another election.  Hundreds of thousands of men and women risked their lives and DIED to give me the chance to exercise this right.  I was not about dishonour them with my apathy.

After all... it’s not like you could get killed or kidnapped for simply casting a ballot... RIGHT?