English Student Vote Responses

3. Citizens in Canada not only have the right and privilege to vote, but a duty to do so responsibly.

                After the fighting and negotiations from the colonies of British North America in the Rebellions of 1837-1838, Canada was formed. Along with the new Dominion of Canada, responsible and representative government, meaning democracy, was also established. If the colonies of British North America fought for the right to a responsible and representative government, then obviously in this new era, Canadians should not only have the right and privilege to vote, but a duty to do so responsibly.

The right to vote does not necessarily mean that the citizens of Canada will vote responsibly. On May 14^th 2013, Elections B.C. reported by CBC News said that the overall turnout for Election Day has been declining for decades. In 2009 51% of the province did not show up to vote, down from 70% in 1983. Why does this happen? One possibility is that people believe that even without their vote, the party they want to vote for will win. The problem with this is that, what if that vote is the one vote they needed to win, but those people decided that it was not necessary? Another possibility is that people just do not care. They believe that their voice will not be heard. But the power of one vote can change who will lead our government, who will change our province or country for the better or worse. If people continue to think that their ballot has no meaning, the outcomes of these elections can be horrifying. 

What does responsible voting mean? Voting responsibly means to know the party, to know their platform, and to know where they stand and how they can help our province or country. Knowing these few things about the parties running will help Canadian citizens make informed and well thought out decisions. Without knowing these things, how is it possible to know who will be a good leader for our future? Making a decision based off of what name sounds the best is not the best idea, and is definitely not being responsible. Doing a small amount of research will benefit every single citizen within the province or country, because the decisions made on Election Day will last 4 to 4 ½ years.

Considering the turn up for the past Election Days, the results of any election can be drastically changed if the other 49% showed up. If people in the past fought for the right to a responsible and representative government, then we should not take their efforts for granted and make our vote a responsible one. This will make sure that the –cracy stays in the demo- (Greek origin).