To the editor,
Actually, there are many better ways to conduct an election. My favourite is used in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
The guidelines for their consensus model of governance include, “MLAs are elected as independents, rather than as members of a political party with a formal platform” and “following a general election, MLAs gather together at the ‘Nunavut Leadership Forum’ to select the Speaker, Premier and Ministers in a secret ballot election.”
I have a lawn sign for the first time in the 54 years I have been eligible to vote. I had it made by a local graphics business. On a white background, the top line of the sign is red and capitalized, “DON”T VOTE.” Below that, in black, lowercase and italicized is, “It only encourages them!”
I make no claim to originality – I saw a similar sentiment on a sign 30 or 40 years ago in the Greater Toronto Area. I always felt the message had some merit and given the current state of affairs and increasingly negative tone of our elections, it fits quite well.
We no longer have debates where reasonable people discuss points with each other; instead we are treated to arguments where petulant individuals constantly interrupt, talk over, and put down or insult each other.
If this were a provincial election here in Ontario, and a few other provinces, I would have the opportunity to register a “protest vote” and have it registered as such and reported in the final tally.
There is no such option in a federal election. My choice is to have my ballot rejected and to notify my MP and the PM that it was my only way to protest.
John Finlay
Walkerton
