In North America, we take our political system for granted. In many places throughout the world, simply voting involves unimaginable risk. While I lived in Zimbabwe many years ago, there were elections and our rural school was a polling station. Weeks prior to the election, men with guns arrived and began patrolling our community. Teachers were instructed to attend the rallies held by the ruling political party, which were also attended by the men with guns. One got the feeling of being watched at all times and that any attempt to support or campaign or show support for the opposition party was risky.
During the 2008 general elections in Zimbabwe, there were widespread reports of violence and intimidation. People knowingly risked their lives and the lives of their loved ones to walk into a polling station and cast their vote for change. I am in awe of that kind of courage. In this atmosphere, enough people voted for the opposition party to pose a serious challenge to the ruling party. The result was not a new party as some had hoped, but an uneasy coalition government composed of both parties. Although it was not the change that some people had hoped for, it was change.
Here in Canada, we take our democracy for granted. One measure of the health of democracy is voter participation. In Canada, in federal, provincial and municipal elections, voter participation has been on a steady decline. In Alberta’s 2007 municipal elections, the voter turnout in Calgary was only 33 per cent and in Edmonton and Cold Lake, it was only 27 per cent. At the time of writing this column, I do not know the voter turnout in this election.
It is sad that we are willing to send our young men to war to fight for democracy in other countries and yet two thirds of us are not willing to take the time to simply fill out a ballot.
Change is also an important feature of democracy. When a political party remains in power too long, then voter participation and apathy increases. Alberta has the lowest participation rate of all provinces in the last elections. If people feel there is no possibility of change, then they will withdraw from participation. I am predicting that there will be a large turnout to vote for a reeve at large this year simply because it is new.
Conflict is also an important feature of a healthy democracy. I have often heard people say that town council or county council should be more cooperative. I disagree. Healthy debate and even heated discussions, if they are focused on the issues, are good. It shows that our elected officials are involved, caring and passionate. If the conflict becomes so great that decisions cannot be made, then it is a problem.
Thank you to all those individuals willing to put their name forward and run for any position. It takes courage to put your name forward and long hours of work campaigning. There is no democracy without people willing to run.
