By Michael Parkinson
Published September 2003
What do the Premier of Ontario and the Mayor of Cambridge have in common? They are both politicians for sure, but would likely describe their politics very differently. They are both elected in general elections but their influence on the type of policies that affect our everyday lives are quite different. So what do they have in common?
In 1981, the current premier of Ontario was elected to the Provincial Legislature by a mere 6 votes. In 2000, the Mayor of Cambridge won by 26 votes. Throughout history, political careers and the style of government have often been decided by a few people who took the time to vote at election time. In 1776, one vote gave Hitler control of the Nazi party. Each and every vote does count!
Lately, most people do not vote at election time, leaving the future of our communities at the political whims of those who do vote. If you were to take a close look at who votes and who doesn’t vote, would discover some pretty significant characteristics. Politicians know who votes and cater their policy intentions accordingly.
Who votes? The majority of people who vote are those with a higher income those with post-secondary education and seniors. It has been found that those who do not vote are young people, new Canadians and people with a low income.
In one low income, multicultural neighbourhood in Kitchener, one polling station had less than 4% voter turnout during the last municipal election. That means 96% of eligible voters were doing something else when the future of their community was being decided for the next 3 years
Promote The Vote (PTV) is a nonpartisan, non-profit, community based organization that aims to improve civic participation. We aim to promote the vote to those known to stay away from voting at election time, and this work is already underway since we have two elections coming up this fall. We are less concerned with who people vote for than in getting people out to vote on election days; we trust people to make an informed choice.
Promote The Vote is able to provide information on voting, as is the Community Information Centre. Visit www.promotethevote.org for good information on voting, including all candidates meetings. Call 579-38000 or email [email protected] to find out more. Consider donating your time or offering to help PTV as we attempt to encourage an informed and engaged community that is active in improving the quality of life for each and every one of us.
Michael Parkinson is one of several volunteers with Promote The Vote.
