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Viewpoint: Voters receive passing grade

Voter turnout was about 60 per cent for the BC election, which is a respectable number. Good for us; democracy in action and all of that “get-out-the-vote” cheerleading.

Voter turnout was about 60 per cent for the BC election, which is a respectable number. Good for us; democracy in action and all of that “get-out-the-vote” cheerleading.

The “I voted” stickers and selfie poses in front of “I voted” banners maybe made a negligible difference, if any, to get out the vote. But, like driving a Prius in a health food store parking lot, it sure made people look like right proper citizens.

It was curious, seeing post upon post from politically active people saying they had voted and all of their politically active friends posting that they had done the same. People have every right to brag about voting.

Political people should be pleased with a 60 per cent turnout. It is a solid grade. At least a majority of eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot. Six out of 10 people spoke for the other four because, you know, the other four had stuff to do.

The percentage of voter turnout in this election was the highest since 1991, up a bit from 2013, but nowhere near the 77 per cent in 1986 when Bill Vander Zalm swept to power on a populist wave.

These parties are not populist, nor were they particularly interesting during the campaign. Liberal, NDP and Green are all centrist, which is boring, like beige, and a big reason people choose not to vote.

As platforms go, an average grade for all three: solid C.

Then there are the leaders: hardly inspiring caricatures of the union muscle guy, Stepford single-mom and the academic yawn.

With such an uninspiring choice, it is a wonder six out of 10 made the effort to cast a ballot.

The whole mess of this possible minority government can be blamed on a single group: the 40 per cent of non-voters. Yes, it is all their fault if BC is thrown into another election in 18 months.

This is what you get for not voting. Repressed people all over the world do not have the right to vote and some of us take that for granted.

However, that whole notion of no vote, no voice is nonsense. The argument that people who did not vote have no right to complain is ridiculous. People who do not vote have every right not to, and do not have to give any explanation for it. It is their right.

It is right there in Section 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.”

If a person does not want to vote, you cannot make them.

“I voted” was a campaign designed to elicit an emotional reaction. If it can be shown it had no effect on getting out the vote for this election, perhaps they should step it up for 2021 with something like, “You’d better vote or else.”

See if that works to drag more people to the polls.

David Brindle is Powell River Peak's community reporter.