As my dear friend, Nicole Edwards, sings, “Apathy is Boring” peeps! Really. Our country NEEDS some changes and the only way to get change is to get out there. Talk. Tweet. Blog. Rally. VOTE!
I heard about Mom The Vote hanks to a Globe & Mail article that a friend shared on facebook. I made a #momthevote hashtag column in tweetdeck and am not reading blog posts and tweets about the election.
I’m sick of the status quo! I want to “become and agent of change…and represent”. (lyrics from Nicole’s song).
I’m frustrated though because our “first past the post” system means that the government in power generally doesn’t represent the popular vote. So, people tend to vote strategically in order to keep out the party they don’t want. I’m actually considering doing a vote swap.
I hate this. I want to vote for the person and party whose platform (assuming I believe what they are saying) I agree with. But I feel like that vote is a wasted vote.
So, let’s start a dialogue. Here. On your blog if you have on (grab the button). On facebook and twitter. Stay tuned for specific talk about this election.
How do you feel about the upcoming election? Do you think your vote counts?
I agree! We had a lengthy discussion a few weeks ago about health care as my son and I sat waiting to get his broken thumb looked at. These are perfect opportunities to create discussion around real-life happenings that kids can relate to.
It is really hard to get motivated when it seems like it is already predetermined but you are right, inaction is just lazy.
We always have a voice and it’s up to us to use it!
I couldn’t wait till I was 18 and could vote, and that excitement and responsibility is something we make a point of instilling in our children.
Every vote counts. Even if you destroy your ballot, you’re still voicing your opinion.
I totally agree, Desi, that teaching our kids about the responsibility of voting is important. We bring ours with us to vote and tell them about how we are helping choose who runs our country and sending a message about how we think it should be run. We don’t always get our way, but it’s important to make our voice heard that way, or there is no chance of making this the country we want it to be at all.
Thanks for posting this! I love politics but don’t make time for it, and this was just the push I needed. Your post led me to The Globe, which led me to the Mom the Vote Facebook page, which led me to listen in on the online townhall meeting Ignatieff held today, which led me to a lengthy (and hilarious) chat with my two year old about Canadian politics. This is how we change things. This is how we make my “throw-away-vote” for a left-wing party (or any other vote) mean something in our first past the post system. This is how we teach our kids that their involvement in electoral politics is a privilege worth showing up for.
Imagine what democracy in Canada could look like, if we kept the conversation going through the election and beyond. That’s attainable. Let’s do it!