How do you see yourself as a voter?
As we prepare for any election it is important for individuals to determine the role that they will play in the electoral process.
There are many options – I will list the two at the extremes of the pendulum and name one other.
The first, is a role that has been carefully crafted by decades of political operatives. They have create an anesthetic to numb the voters but not totally debilitate them. And then they have used unbridled propaganda to emotionally reactivate the sedated by offering them the opportunity to be extras (all be it unpaid, unlistened to, and with no allowance for costume or make up) in the reality TV show called Fake Democracy Canada. We will cover the incredible downsides of this option in a series of post about “Election Interference”. By thinking you will undermine the effectiveness of this approach to elections.
The second, is to claim the position of “Citizen Elector”, to see yourself as part of the human resources department that will hire the next representative for your constituency. The candidates running in your riding are asking you to give them a job, a well-paid job, for the next four years.
As a Citizen Elector you have the right to have the candidates meet with you, answer your questions, demonstrate their vision and commitment, offer information about their qualifications, and ideally demonstrate that they have the ability to listen and respond in meaningful ways.
Population and geography may make a personal interview impossible, however there are ways to gather this information. Assure you treat their proxies that appear on your door step with the same level of scrutiny as you would the candidate. At public meetings pose your HR interview questions to the candidate(s).
Also, as a CE you need to reflect on the messages being published, mailed and the comments in interviews.
And before you fill in your ballot remember what you are doing. You are hiring someone to represent you for the next four years. Are you willing to pay them for the term? Do you believe they will be able to fulfill the job? To me voting is not an option. If you don’t vote no one needs to listen to your complaints. However, if no candidate meets your hiring criteria you may spoil your ballot and place it in the box.
Citizen Electors always vote.
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