The View from Under the Bus

In political parlance, one is "thrown under the bus" when they take on, either on a volunteer or voluntold basis, responsibility for a mistake or miscalculation of a campaign. I think given the events of the last couple of days, it's pretty clear that Michael Sona is being thrown under the bus as the robo-call controversy from last May's Federal Election has erupted with new vigour.

Obviously, I'm no fan of Sona's. He was one of the prime architects of the Marty Burke campaign's deflect-a-thon as the Conservative candidate's Communication Manager here in Guelph. Sona was one of a number (seven being the number I was told) of CPC operatives from Ottawa HQ parachuted onto the Burke campaign to help seal this riding's deal for Harper. For Sona and his associates though, the election in Guelph was fait not accompli as their strategy of minimal public engagement outside of campaign events and door-knocking only severed to separate Burke from the electorate he was trying to court.

But I don't want to re-live the campaign. My comments on it stand, and I know others see the campaign differently believing that media members believing themselves ignored and marginalized are either media elitists upset by the snub, or perceived as too liberal to be dealt with reasonably. I think though that everyone can agree that the optics at the special ballot on the University of Guelph campus didn't look good for Sona. The accusation that he caused a ruckus, shouting about the legality of the poll before making a motion to grab the ballot box, made him a national headline; a notoriously active member of the party at best, a Rovian in training at worst.

You Know What? Maybe You Shouldn't Vote.

As I was working at the Best Western polling station yesterday, somebody downtown was reading my Echo column and they decided to send me a comment via e-mail, and no, it wasn't a death threat or somebody telling me I shouldn't be writing a political blog. 

Long story short, he begged to differ from my assertion in the column that people who are able to vote, really should vote and that maybe they should no what it's like to have to fight to get the right to vote by writing an essay in order to get the vote back if you miss three elections in a row at any level. I'm not sure I was advocating a "Rock the Vote" style, vote or else campaign that encourages everyone to exercise their franchise even if they aren't really passionate about it, but I secede that it could be read that way.

"[L]ike you I always vote," my e-mail writer wrote, "I don't agree that we need to find ways to make more people vote. No good can come from the uninformed, unintellgent, and/or apathetic casting ballots.

Immediately before I read your column today I overheard the following (abbreviated) exchange between the staff.

Cook: Steve Jobs died.

Bartender: Who is Steve Jobs?

Cook: He was an Apple guy, he saved the music industry. I knew he was going to die because there's two kinds of cancer: the kind that makes you bald but you live, and the kind that makes you skinny but you die. He got skinny, so he died, like Jack Layton.

 "Do you really want people like that voting? What are the chances they have a clue what they are voting for?"

I agree, I certainly hope these people didn't vote. But there are a lot of people out there who should vote but don't. They know the issues, they're informed, they're passionate, but for whatever reason, there's a disconnect between that and getting to the polling place.

People who don't vote can be separated into five categories: there are people who are intelligent and engaged, but don't vote as a statement; there are people who are intelligent and engaged but feel that their vote doesn't matter; their are people who are intelligent and somewhat engaged, but perhaps feel not informed enough to vote; there are intelligent people that don't engage; and their unintelligent people who enjoy their ignorance and/or feel that society doesn't get them. People in those first four categories should be voting, that last category should not.

How we might fix that gap, I don't know. But working for the election gives you some pretty interesting insight into the system. Here's what came from my 12 hours manning the polls yesterday:

1) Mail's screwing up the process. There were so many young people that came in to vote, but didn't have proof of address because they don't have bills sent to their house. Or bank statements. Or magazine subscriptions. Or any mail really. Some were referred to a nearby printer, and one girl tried to show an electronic document on her laptop as proof, which sadly couldn't be accepted as proof of address. Which leads into the next point.

2) One of the many students working the Best Western poll remarked that the University spends so much time encouraging people to get out to vote, and not enough time giving them the info they need in order to vote. Like what kind of ID you need, or where you can get that info. While it is up to the individual to take responsibility to find the information they need, your student government should be able to help point you in the right direction.

3) People need to realize that voting isn't like going to McDonalds to get a Big Mac: you can't go to any location and get the same service. There were a couple of people who expected that they'd be able to just go to the polling station of their choice and submit their vote. Sorry, you can't do that. These things are carefully organized for a reason, and that reason is to make sure that you can't just walk into a polling station, say that you'd like to vote at this poll because it's closer to your work or home, when you're really doing a voting tour of Guelph. Which reminds me...

4) Use your advanced polls. A kid cam in rather irate that he wanted to vote at the Best Western because he had a busy day on campus and couldn't leave for an appropriate amount of time to vote at his polling place. What this guy should have realized is that there was advanced voting for 10 days, at several locations around the city, including the University Centre at the University of Guelph. You mean you didn't have two minutes in a week a half to vote just one floor down from where you get your Starbucks?

And yes, voter turnout was down from the last election, below 50 per cent of the total vote down, but I don't think making the process easier is the answer. Like the man said, Democracy is advanced citizenship, you have to want it before you're able to get it. And the point is more people should want it.

Schirk Says Voting is Easy... And Cool

To complete this rather busy political day, I'm posting this press release I got from the Greg Schirk campaign encouraging everyone to get out and vote. I like the message, because as much as our elections sometimes sink to the depths of partisanship, which may be a nice name to explain a wide variety of civil discourse, both positive and negative, the most important thing of all is get out and vote. It's where your voice really matters after all.

--PRESS RELEASE--

Greg Schirk, Guelph’s Progressive Conservative candidate, voted today at the advance poll set up by Elections Ontario in City Hall. He found the process quick and easy, and encourages all eligible voters in Guelph to exercise their democratic right and cast their ballot at an advance poll today or tomorrow, or on October 6th.

Greg wants to remind voters that “the Ontario provincial government – NOT the Federal government or the government of the City of Guelph -- is responsible for two really important areas that affect everyone and their future - health care and education. If you have an opinion about what you want heath care and education to be in Ontario, please take a few minutes to understand the platform of each political party, then vote for the one that best reflects your views.”

Greg also wants people to recognize that “the right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy. It is a fundamental democratic right that people in many countries do not have and are fighting for right now. We have it. We shouldn’t take it for granted.” Furthermore, “contrary to how many people feel, every vote really does count. It’s our way of making it clear to politicians the direction we want our governments to take over the next few years. The more votes, the clearer that message.”

The Eternal Struggle

As reported in the Guelph Mercury last week, city clerk Lois Gilles returned a report to city council with all the good news/bad news of the recently held municipal election. The good news is that Guelph can hold an election for the price of about $5 a head. The bad news is that only a third of those heads showed up at the ballot box to take advantage of the investment.

In the report, Gilles offers a couple of possible solutions. The first is the rather odious notion of voting online, the second involves putting polling stations in more well-travelled places than local schools and churches (which would make at least one person happy).

On the one hand there's online voting. Ever been hacked? Your computer ever caught a virus? Ever had your identity stolen? All valid reasons to not lay the fate of our democracy on the same technology that determines which American Idol we think should be voted off this week. Apparently it's been tested in a couple of towns in Ontario and British Columbia, and in typical technological fashion, voting in Arnprior, ON had to be extended 24 hours after the servers crashed due to high volume. Nice to know that they used the same servers as Twitter and Tumblr.

Then, on the other hand, there's this whole "shop-and-vote" idea. Come on, we're not getting our taxes done here. Seriously, why must the mall become the epicentre for all human activity? Didn't Dawn of the Dead teach us anything?

But putting that aside, here's why I'm dead set against online voting and "shop-and-vote": If voting's a chore for you, it's because it is a chore. My favourite line from Rob Reiner's The American President is during the press conference at the end when President Shepherd (as played by Michael Douglas) says that "America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad." He says 'America' but I think 'democracy' could be substituted easily enough and the meaning of the line isn't changed. You've got to want to vote, and if you don't want to vote, then the location and method by which you vote isn't going to make much of a difference. 

The point is that you want to have a say in the way YOUR government is run. You have to want to make an effort. You may even have to leave your house, or visit someplace you don't normally go to. How much stuff are we bombarded with everyday on the internet that we don't engage with? How many stores at the mall do we walk past, and never go into? That's what voting will become. Another annoyance that get's between you and where you're going, both online and in real life. 

And while we're at it, why is it that people in places where going to the polling station can literally get you killed, have higher voter turnouts than we do? Recent coverage of the Sudanese vote for separation showed voters leaving the voting booth dancing. Nobody dances at our polling places, although I do see a lot of smiles and active engagement. Still, those are the people that come out. 

I will never understand people that don't engage in the democratic process, a process that requires so little, but means so much. Read the newspaper, watch the news, look over pamphlets, visit websites, talk to your neighbours, friends and family about issues? Guess what? You're 90 per cent of the way there. In most elections, polling places are open for 12 hours a day or more. They're usually located within a short walk or drive in your neighbourhood, mostly in churches and schools. You're not required to fill out some kind of reading comprehension test before you begin, all you need is your i.d. and an idea who you're casting your ballot for. If this were any easier... Well, I guess that's what we're talking about. 

The idea of making voting "easier" in the ways discussed above is personally offensive to me. Frankly, if the current system of voting is too inconvenient for you, I'd rather you didn't vote. I'd never advocate taking away someone's right to vote, but I think that if you sit out three elections in a row, you should be forced to make some kind of brief presentation about why you want to vote now, and why you didn't before. I was going to say essay, but I'd open it up to some kind of audio/visual format like performance art or a podcast as well. 

Yes, more people should vote, but until it's something people seriously want they're not going to chase it. Whether it comes with a free gift or not.

VOTE!

Guess where I was just now? Yes, at was at my local polling station exercising my democratic rights by voting in the Municipal Election. Polls close at 8 pm tonight, so you still have about six hours to find out where you vote (if you don't know already) and get their and vote. During early polls, 3,200 people voted, which is about 2.8 per cent of the City's population. In 2006, the total number of eligible voters that made the trip to the ballot box was a little over 50 per cent. Here’s hoping we can do better this year (but I doubt it).

In the meantime, here’s where you can find all the information you’ll need on where, when and how to vote today:

• Where and when to Vote
• List of candidates and wards
• Voters List

As for predictions, well, I’m not the biggest fan of making predictions although that’s sometimes what the job calls for. So here it is… I’m relatively, within a high degree of probability, certain that Karen Farbridge will remain the Mayor of Guelph till 2014. Despite his early running, Birtwistle seemed to not put up much of a fight, and his platform - if you can find it on his website - seems to be more about what sucks in Guelph right now and who's responsible. 

As for council, we know that there will be at least two new councillors by the end of the night, but I'll go out on a limb and say that there'll be at least five, possibly six new people for the horseshoe. One ward will probably be turned over completely, with two or three others getting half a change. 

Voter turnout will be down versus 2006, but should be better than 2003's 36 per cent. 

As for me, I'll most likely be at City Hall when the results start coming in and then post shortly there after around 10 pm. Stay tuned tonight for the results.

The Following People Will Not Get My Vote...

...David Birtwistle.

That is all.

So in a last ditch effort to get as many Candidate Questionnaires as I can before the Election Day in one week, I sent another reminder to the outstanding candidates who have yet to hand one in. And as of 8:30 pm on Monday night, out of the nearly dozen still outstanding, only one has gotten back to me: Mayoral Candidate David Birtwistle. Here's what he (or somebody else considering that the e-mail wasn't signed by him) wrote back to me.

Please refer to my website, www.davidbirtwistle.com

Rena Akerman for

David Birtwistle

Candidate for Mayor

City of GUELPH

Yeah, that's a diss. And I've been turned down by girls with braces so I know what a diss is. I count myself as undecided for this election, but I sure as hell know who I'm not voting for: David Birtwistle. I know I may not exactly play centre field, but I didn't know I was one of the 'looney left.' I can only think that Mr. Birtwistle has confused me with another Adam A. Donaldson and didn't know that the questionnaire came from me, the one who complimented his debate performance.

If you'll draw your attention to the right (haha) you'll see that I've done as Mr. Birtwistle (or Ms. Akerman. Whatever.) suggested and added a link to his website. All I can do is my best and assume that Mr. Birtwistle just can't understand the kids now-in-days with the rap music and the brain damage and the blogging. I assume this because he, himself, doesn't even write his own blog posts. No big deal. 

And to all those that did take the time to answer the questionnaire, thank you. The demands of campaigning are incredible when you think about balancing press, personal appearances, debates, forums, research, going door-to-door, and those pesky jobs and family commitments you all have. I understand if a request for time from a simple blogger falls through the cracks, but in David Birtwistle's case, going out of your way to send me only your website URL, let's just say that I know when to peel the banana. At least from a hand gesture perspective. 

So yeah, I won't be voting Birtwistle on Election Day. Thanks for making that vote easy.

Get Your Early Votes in Now

I'm a little behind on this, but this week, the advanced polls are open for the municipal election. See below for the times and locations. And please vote. It's more than your right, it's your responsibility. Remember: if you don't vote, you really can't complain.

Tuesday, October 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., City Hall, 1 Carden St.

Wednesday, October 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., City Hall, 1 Carden St.

Thursday, October 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., City Hall, 1 Carden St.

Saturday, October 16, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:

• Ward 1: Guelph City Hall, 1 Carden Street
• Ward 2: Evergreen Seniors Community Centre, 683 Woolwich Street
• Ward 3: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High school, 54 Westmount Road
• Ward 4: West End Community Centre, 21 Imperial Road South
• Ward 5: John McCrae Public School, 189 Water Street
• Ward 6: Arkell Road Bible Chapel, 39 Arkell Road