It has started already. The media are complaining about the low turnout of voters before the voting even takes place. Between now and the final election day on October 6, they are going to be reporting that that only about six out of ten Ontario voters will vote in this provincial election. You would think that we hardly need additional voters who have no clue for whom or why they should vote. We should tell them: “Thanks but we already have lots of people who do not know what they are doing.”
It has always been our feeling that we should have a two-step voting process. The idea is that first you prove that you have paid attention to the candidates’ platforms, have understood what they are telling voters and then you are allowed to vote for one of them. It would certainly change the outcome for many elections at all levels of government.
For example, we could ask voters what it means when a candidate tells you it is time for a change in Ontario. The answer obviously is that the other guys are in and that candidate is out and wants a chance to be in and take his or her turn at screwing things up.
The trick question for voters is why does the guy who is in power get the blame for all the taxes? Voters who know that this is how we pay for all the government programs that we demand the government provide, should get to vote first. The voter who says that nothing else matters but cutting taxes should be taken to a hospital, after they are in a traffic accident, just when the hospital can no longer pay its electric bill. That voter did not vote because of their untimely death.
Of course, there are those who subscribe to the suggestion that we really should have stupid politicians to give stupid voters someone to vote for. Why should stupid people be deprived of representation?
There is a law of natural selection that takes place in election campaigns. If you are an incumbent, you already have 20 per cent of the votes going for you. If you do not piss off too many people and just remind them that they were smart enough to vote for you last time, you will probably win.
If there is no incumbent and no candidate has strong name recognition, you better have lots of workers because you have to knock on a lot of doors, identify people who might vote for you and then have the workers drag them out to vote. That wins elections.
But woe betide you if some numbskull pushes people out to vote who never paid attention, never read a newspaper, don’t know who the candidates are, have never met or heard one of the candidates and think they are voting for the party leader. It is enough to make those who care cry.
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Copyright 2011 © Peter Lowry
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