We're Coming Up On Re-Election Day...

August 13, 2015

Oh, goody!  This is the time of year that I absolutely dread more than any other time in the world.  I hate this time more than Black Friday in a retail store.  I hate this time more than Boxing Day at the mall.  I hate this time even more than Valentine's Day.  And any of you who have followed along with me in this blog knows the special amount of hate I have for Valentine's Day.

Yes, my friends.  Election day is coming.

It's too bad that election day wasn't as cool as the 1985 hit by Arcadia.  That "election Day" happens to be one of my favourite '80s hits.

Instead, election day in Canada seems to be one of the most depressing times of the whole year as politicians all over the country are doing everything in their power to get you to trust them enough to make you vote for them.

You know, I've never really been much for politics.  I suppose I've been that way since I was in the eighth grade, and I came in dead last for people who wanted to run for the position of class rep.  That was a bitter pill to swallow, and I admit that after that day, I really didn't care to follow politics at all.

But, no.  I'm not bitter.  REALLY, I'm NOT!  Why are you looking at me like that?

Okay, back on track here.  The point is that whenever an election is called, be it municipal, provincial, or federal, it makes me feel very frustrated.

One of the reasons why I get so frustrated when it comes to elections is the fact that no matter where you go in any neighbourhood - be it a small town or a metropolis - your once pleasant view of city landscapes is now ruined by election signs plastered all over the place.  In Canada, you see thousands of signs in blue (conservative), red (Liberal), orange (NDP), and green (Green Party) on people's lawns, in people's windows, at every major intersection.  The signs are like bunnies.  Every five minutes you see another twenty pop up.

Can I just say that I absolutely HATE election signs?  And election pamphlets?  And any election propaganda that pollutes the environment?  To be honest, my family has NEVER put up signs showing support for any candidate.  Now that I am a homeowner, You'll never see an election sign in my front yard. 

To be honest, the candidate who puts out the least signage will be the candidate who will likely earn my vote.  There are ways to promote your campaign without being obnoxious about it.

(You hear that, Mr. Trump?)

And speaking of obnoxious tactics that candidates do to try and win your vote is to do everything in their power to try and knock the other competitors down.

Yes, I'm talking about those political "attack ads" that spend 30 seconds at a time explaining why Candidates X, Y, and Z are totally wrong for the country, and why voting for them would be like casting a vote for Satan himself.

But, what about the ads that talk about what candidates are actually going to do for their ridings?  And, I'm not talking about ads like Kathleen Wynne's where all she does is jog along a road explaining why she loves to run either.  Those ads are just as pointless.

Here's the thing though.  When all of the candidates start attacking each other in ads instead of telling us what they plan to do, it really makes it easy to see why so many people have abstained from casting votes in elections.  It's difficult to throw our support to a candidate when those candidates are acting like playground bullies.  And really, as far as I'm concerned, there's no other way to describe them.

We don't care about stuff like that.  We care about what you are going to do for us.  So, stop using your public soapbox to tell us why not to vote for a candidate.  Use it to tell us why to vote for you!

And, finally, I just want to express this point of view to everyone here.  I'll admit that when it comes down to elections - particularly with the Canadian elections that are coming up this October, I am very much undecided.  But I imagine that by the end of the campaigning, I will make my selection and cast my vote for the candidate who I believe in the most. 

In short, I have the right to cast a vote, and I will make my vote heard.  And I encourage everyone else to do the same.  Last election we had, our voter turnout rate was less than one-third. 

That's pathetic.

Seriously, I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I'm sure many of you don't like the officials who were elected into office.  I can tell you that I am most definitely not a fan of our current premier, nor was I a fan of the one elected before her.  But did it ever occur to you that maybe the reason why they were elected was because people simply didn't care enough to go to the polls? 

Seriously, you don't like your current representative?  Get out to the polls and vote to make a change!  You have the right to do it, so get out to the ballot box and cast a vote!

Because if you don't...and the person you can't stand still remains in office - well, you pretty much lose all right to complain if you didn't at least try to voice your concern, right?