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Some people just shouldn’t vote

It is traditional for a newspaper, in the issue immediately proceeding an election, to editorialize along these lines:
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It is traditional for a newspaper, in the issue immediately proceeding an election, to editorialize along these lines:

It doesn’t matter who you vote for, just get out and vote.

Heck, it is practically a newsroom requirement.

Yeah. Meh.

We aren’t doing that. Because it’s stupid.

In the long histories of elections and newspapers it is unlikely that anyone, ever, decided to exercise the franchise on the strength of an admonishing opinion no matter how eloquently composed.

Moreover, it’s just not true.

Of course it matters who you vote for. It matters very much. Actually, it’s all that matters.

That’s not to suggest you can name a right candidate, or a wrong candidate, for any office.

Within our electoral system the candidate who gets the most votes is, by definition, the right candidate.

So it’s crucially important to vote with your head.

There are people who “X” the first name or names on a ballot.

There are people who “X” candidates solely because they’ve heard of that person before, or because they have the most signs on peoples’ lawns.

There are people who base their vote on the opinions of others, overheard at the coffee shop or on social media.

All those people should stay home on Saturday and watch cartoons.

Voting is the closest practice to a sacred ritual offered by any democracy.

You shouldn’t vote just because you can, without giving some serious thought to what you are doing. A willfully ill-informed voter is to effective government what a drunk driver is to a four-lane highway.

Read newspapers or follow credible digital news media. Find out at least something about the relevant issues and examine your own feelings on them. Do some homework and learn a bit about how your government works and what can and cannot be expected of it.

The Spotlight has already published profiles on every candidate we were able to contact, and this week those candidates have participated in a Q and A (pages nine, 10 and 11).

Vote for candidates if you agree with their positions on big issues - the pool and the trail appear to be big issues this time around for Princeton.

When choosing between candidates you might also consider character, as well as experience or knowledge, leadership style, approachability. Pick something but make it tangible and real.

A vote is tremendous privilege, but it is also a responsibility.

Treat it like one.

The Similkameen Spotlight



Andrea DeMeer

About the Author: Andrea DeMeer

Andrea is the publisher of the Similkameen Spotlight.
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