There wasn’t fire. In fact, there was hardly smoke. This month’s federal election that helped the Conservatives walk away with a stronger minority came and went. And there was nothing sizzling about it.
Between lacklustre campaigns, dismal platforms, and boring party leaders, it’s no wonder Canada’s voter turnout sank to the lowest of lows.
More than 10 million registered voters in the country said “no thank you” to casting ballots this time around. Even in Ottawa Centre, where voter turnout was the highest in Canada at 71.5 per cent, saw a slight drop in numbers from 2006. And really, no one can be blamed for being less than enthusiastic about this election.
Despite the fact this race was a bore even for political junkies, low voter turn out in Canadian elections isn’t a problem confined to this election. It’s a trend. A major reason for this is the “first past the post” electoral system. Many feel that their vote simply doesn’t count in the grand scheme of things.
Take, for example, the million people that voted Green in this election and are still shut out from having a single voice in Parliament. How can these Canadians not feel frustrated with the system they vote under? And when the next election rolls around, likely in another 18 months, why would they feel overly inclined to vote, at least for the party they want in power, if their ballots don’t see results?
Before the election, about 1,000 Canadians got together and devised a way to dance around this system. They wanted to make their votes count. Through a website votepair.ca, people living in swing ridings arranged to swap votes with each another. As a result of these online partnerships, the outcomes of two ridings were changed.
While somewhat deceptive plots like vote swapping address voter frustration in Canada, our neighbours to the south don’t seem to have the same apathy about their political leaders or politics heading into the upcoming election. And Americans are notorious for having even worse voter turnouts than we do here in Canada.
While their voting system faces its own share of problems, which were displayed in the Bush/Gore debacle in Florida, many Americans are anxiously waiting their opportunity to mark their X on the ballot. Though higher voter interest in the presidential election can be attributed to a number of factors, there is one that stands out most: both the Republican and the Democratic candidates not only inspire people to get to the polls, but they ignite energy about politics. According to the polls, Barack Obama is set to tap into voters who have felt traditionally disengaged by the political system, such as women and people of colour. The reason he is able to spark interest is because people truly feel as though he will challenge, and even change, the status quo.
As Canadians, we weren’t offered anything but the status quo in this election. Canadian politicians of the past such as Pierre Trudeau knew that in order to succeed as leaders, they had to make people excited about the issues and about the new life they could bring to parliament. Our apathy as voters goes hand in hand with the indifferent party leaders we have to choose from.