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/ Opinion / Editorial /

It's time to get informed

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Electors who don’t vote because “they don’t know enough about the issues” can no longer cling to this sorry excuse for failing to participate in the democratic process. Beyond the readily accessibly platforms and media coverage that goes with any federal election in the digital age, on Thursday night local residents will get the chance to gather as much information as they want at the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce all-candidates’ forum.

Besides last week’s successful ‘speed-dating’ approach to quizzing candidates at the library, the chamber forum, regardless of what level of government we are voting for, represents the best possible opportunity to hear from all four candidates.

Becoming an informed voter is not a passive process. Candidates aren’t responsible for making sure electors ‘understand the issues.’ They are responsible for trying to win your vote but not every candidate is going to come knocking on your door. How engaged you choose to be is a choice; if you don’t understand an issue or a candidate’s subsequent stance, it’s your responsibility to find that information because it’s everywhere. Besides tomorrow night’s forum, there is the ongoing coverage of the news media, including a special election page at www.stalbergazette.com. If you’re not comfortable with media coverage, check the websites and social media feeds for every candidate in your riding. And if all else fails, just pick up the phone and call your candidate.

The national media is contributing to voter apathy by continually quoting analysts who simply state that nothing is going to change — Stephen Harper will win a third minority government. So who wants to vote if we’re just going to get the same result? Ideally, the answer would be everybody if they want to see a change in the status quo. The size of that minority, an elusive majority or another party winning the most seats in Parliament — the ultimate outcome — depends on who actually turns out to vote. The percentage of votes cast in the 2008 election — 59.1 per cent — was the biggest disappointment because the downward trend never seems to stop.

It’s important to remember that keeping people away from the ballot box is a kind of party strategy. People who didn’t vote in the last election are increasingly unlikely to vote in the next one. Subsequently, candidates who win pluralities in constituencies where voter turnout is low are interested in keeping it that way. If more people turn out to vote, there is a good chance they will vote for one of the other candidates. And any competitive individual, whether an athlete or a politician, doesn’t want to win by a small margin.

For electors who don’t want to vote, there is no point in trotting out tired excuses that can be easily dissected — just say so. But for those who genuinely want to know more and make the best-informed decision possible, Thursday night’s forum is one place to get started. So let’s pack the room and flood the candidates with our questions. Let’s make all the nominees explain themselves and the views of their parties. It’s no UFC bout or NHL playoff game, but there is a specific kind of thrill that comes from watching four individuals verbally duke it out for your vote.

The Gazette will be there, even live-blogging the event from the St. Albert Inn. We hope to see all of you there too.