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Assaults on Ballots
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Phillip Hong
February 8, 2014 |
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October 2007. A year after casting my first ballot in a municipal election, I was appointed as
deputy returning officer for a three-digit poll in the glorious riding "above Toronto". As a heavily
politicized youth I felt it was a civic honour to offer my ability to rip ballots from a booklet for
the sake of the strong democracy we take advantage of so often. It was a monumental poll despite
the noticeably paltry turnout. Voters were given the choice to change the electoral process to allow
for party-specific MPPs to be elected - a system proponents affectionately called "Mixed Member
Proportional". You were given one very sweet deal: two ballots in one election! It's a combo only
fast food restaurants could provide reliably until that moment.
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In my non-descript poll (like most in my neighbourhood the electorate were suburban families), the
MMP proposal edged ahead of ballots against it. The province was not as evenly divided; most voted
to keep the system we already had. But it was an exercise in democracy free of negative campaigning;
neither side could accuse the other of dunking an election method into a vat of alcohol or accuse
it of parking in an accessible spot.
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But the most information I remembered receiving as a voter form either cause was a pamphlet. One
measly old piece of paper that was so compelling, media outlets reported on the lack of campaigning
either side engaged in compared to the general ballot!
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The federal government thinks political parties should make the effort to convince voters to head
to the polls, but 2007 proves that political causes need more than their promises and manifestos to
encourage turnout - that duty has always been left to Elections Canada. Just as all politicians are
open to advertise their messages to voters, the job of the independent election commission is to
ensure people exercise their constitutional right to self-governance. "Go and vote" may be a message
that seems too obvious, but just as we are reminded to inspect our furnaces once a year, it's a
necessary piece of advertising.
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In an ideal scenario, Elections Canada effectively reminds you to have lunch and the political
parties inevitably want you to order their chicken sandwich. That's why the message needs delivery
every time the writ is dropped.
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The federal government is inadvertently insinuating that we are incapable of governing ourselves,
because the recurring ads from Elections Canada aren't (in their words) boosting voter turnout. Oh
no, it couldn't be any other factors like negative partisan attacks of all stripes, possibly
unconvincing messages advertised by politicians, or the electorate's cynicism in the candidates or
the process in general. Elections aren't run based on how many show up - it's the result of the
views people have expressed whether they showed up and marked a ballot or not. If the independent
electoral commissions of this country could rip people off their couches and force them to mark
an "X", it would actually be undemocratic. The feds err in believing non-voters lack a message
by not voting.
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Then there's the re-calibration of duties that result in some of Elections Canada's powers being
taken away. If it's not the paramount occupation of the independent electoral commission to be in
charge of reinforcing democracy in Canada, what's the point of its existence? Sticking more "middle
management" as determined by the partisan federal government isn't trying to make anyone's job
easier.
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For years, we've entrusted Elections Canada to defend the democratic cause as well as administer
its system. In fact, they've done an excellent job investigating moves by political parties that
flagrantly defy the laws set for a fair campaign. Who can voters talk to if a mysterious call led
them with maliciously incorrect information? Elections Canada has always been a cause impartial to
politicians but partial to the citizens of this country. To redefine it this way is to dismantle an
institution that leads with fairness first.
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The Fair Elections Act is anything but fair. If political parties decide how they get elected
without our direct consent, it becomes another chapter of Animal Farm.
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Phillip Hong is a columnist with 148.ca.
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