Robert Doull
On October 15 we go to the polls to elect mayors, city councillors, school board trustees and rural directors. Those elected will take up their new positions in January 2023.
Our democracy is a fragile thing. It depends on an informed and engaged citizenry to survive. Low voter turnout points to one of the potential risks. The lower the turnout the easier it is for a special interest group to organize to hijack the result. In the 2018 election 56.59 per cent of Oliver’s eligible voters voted while the turnout in Osoyoos was about 18 per cent lower at 38.67 per cent. On average the number of voters who take part in BC General Elections has declined steadily since statistics were first kept in 1928, from a high of about 72 per cent to a present day average in the range of 55 to 60 per cent. Turnout in Ontario’s recent provincial election was 48.2 per cent of eligible voters, the lowest in their history.
Australia has solved the problem of low voter turnout by making voting mandatory. Their turnout averages 95 per cent. However, it is a solution that, most likely, would not work here. The consequence would be self-styled patriots flying Canadian flags and demanding their right not to vote. Some provinces, but not BC., allow voters to go to the poll, accept a ballot and then return it blank to be counted as a declined vote. Essentially it is a vote for none of the above. The organization Democracy Watch advocates for adding a “none of the above” selection right on the ballot with a line allowing the voter to indicate why they have chosen that option. It is better than staying home or spoiling your ballot because it is counted and a large number of declined votes would cause politicians to consider how to develop policy to attract these voters. It won’t change the outcome of an election but it keeps these negative option voters as active participants within the democratic process.
One of the best ways to protect democracy is for us all to take part in it. Now is the time for residents to think about the issues that will define our coming general local elections. It is not too soon to be debating and discussing the matters that we think are important. Those who have the time and the energy should consider if it is their turn to step up and make their own contribution to public service.
It can be hard work. You need to be prepared. You have to research the issues, and things that appear to be simple can become increasingly nuanced and complex with further study. Solutions are never perfect. You need to be emotionally mature. Someone is always affected in a way that you had not considered. You may have one issue that makes you angry, but there are a hundred other matters that need your calm deliberation and your intelligence to help solve.
Our elected officials should reflect the range and diversity of all our citizens. Each one of our communities is a mosaic of smaller communities. None of them stand alone, they all overlap and interact. Some are communities we join by choice, others we are born into. Our local governments need to reflect that range of backgrounds while building bridges between us and finding a common cause. You have to be approachable and willing to listen to others. And it really helps to have an interest in budgets and financial matters.
Nominations must to be submitted between Tuesday, August 30 and Friday, September 9. The BC local general elections only come around once every four years.
You might be one of the people we need to represent us now.
