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Pique n' your interest

Decision day approaches quickly

Have you figured out who you’re going to vote for yet?

Me either.

This week I realized the clock is ticking and I only have a few days to figure this out. Ever since the writ was dropped the dial hasn’t moved from the CBC on the car radio and The National has become part of my nightly routine as I try to figure this all out.

Before I get any further in this column I have to make an immediate disclaimer that I know nothing about federal politics and I’m not qualified at all to write about platforms and promises and who’s the best party or person.

I hardly even feel qualified to vote, and that’s what this column is all about.

Despite tuning in recently I’m still just as confused.

I can’t be the only one.

I used to have this general philosophy when faced with a tough decision that I really didn’t want to make that if I could ignore it, well it would eventually go away.

I think I actually broke up with a boyfriend once by simply ignoring his phone calls.

Failing the ignore tactic, the next best thing was to hold off on making a decision long enough that eventually someone would make the decision for you.

I think another boyfriend actually broke up with me after I employed this tactic.

There’s no doubt that I’m not proud of my teenage behaviour and yet I can’t help but admit it’s somewhat appealing when it comes to making a decision on this federal election.

For example, if I simply ignore June 28, and let it slip by with nary a thought to the election and my duty to vote, I’m sure I wouldn’t have any problem falling asleep that night. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.

Or I could tune out over the next week and make a last minute decision based on sketchy facts, essentially letting someone else make the decision for me by virtue of the fact that I simply haven’t informed myself.

But haven’t I matured even just a little from my teenage years?

You would hope so.

I can’t help thinking that things might be easier if Canada had a compulsory voting system like Australia’s. It’s a system that’s in about 20 different countries around the world, despite what many Australians think!

Belgium, Greece, Switzerland, Brazil, all do it like the Australians. And let’s not forget all those people in Liechtenstein too.

You either vote or you get fined. In rare cases you can be jailed if you don’t pay the fine.

On the face of it, it may appear to be rather heavy-handed of a government.

The last time I looked around we lived in a democratic society. Should the government be able to force us to vote? Shouldn’t we be voting of our own free will?

But as decision day fast approaches, I’m starting to think the Aussies are on to something good here.

Doesn’t it make sense that if everyone around you were forced to vote, they would all be talking about who they’re voting for and why?

My peer group today seems to be just as confused as I am wading through the smoke and mirrors of this federal election and trying to make sense of it all.

I think a compulsory vote would make us sit up and take more notice.

Then again, maybe that’s naïve of me.

In this day and age, despite the bombardment of election coverage from TV, radio, newspaper and the Internet, I think it’s just too easy to say "I don’t know enough about the election and therefore I’m not going to vote."

We can be an apathetic bunch after all.

So to show just how much I’ve matured since my teenage years I’m going to make it my point this weekend to find out who deserves my vote.

Of course there are all these other things you’re supposed to take into consideration too when casting your ballot. It’s called strategic voting, where you cast your vote based on who you think is going to win or lose.

That’s just far too much to think about.

I’m going to zero in on the person who I think is simply the best for the job.

The other think to take into consideration too is the fact that though you may think Stephen Harper is the best man for the job, theoretically speaking, you won’t actually be able to put a mark beside his name on your ballot.

You have to choose from your host of local candidates.

Oh dear, the weight of this decision is starting to make my head spin.

You may think I’m starting to take this all very seriously and if it’s making me this neurotic maybe I should just abstain from the whole process altogether before I develop an ulcer.

Is there such a thing as a doctor’s note to get me out of my civic duty?

But I liken this to training for My First Triathlon, which by the way has gotten a little better in recent weeks.

I can do My First Triathlon even if I lie on the couch in front of my TV for the next eight weeks.

It would take me a long time to do it but eventually I would reach the finish line and I could say "I did My First Triathlon."

Is that why I signed up?

Likewise, I can go to the polls on Monday without a second thought to the best candidate for the job and I could check a box and say "I did my duty and I voted in the federal election."

That’s not the point. The point is to make your vote count.

As I have come to realize, you’ll never know enough.

Though I may not be qualified to wax eloquent about NDP policies, or to delve into the nitty-gritty details of the Liberal sponsorship scandal, I am qualified to vote. And so are you.

Read up this weekend, be confident in your choice and exercise your democratic right, and to some extent, your democratic duty.

See you at the polls.