Vote or lose your Voice

On Monday, October 25, 2010 all Ontarians who are 18 and older have the right to vote in Municipal Elections.

Our blogs generally touch on business law issues as that is the nature of the firm, but every now and then there are issues we feel strongly about that go beyond business law and this is one of them.

If you are eligible to vote, vote.

There is a lot of apathy among voters these days as seen in the incredibly low voter turnout rates.

 Many have a multitude of reasons for not voting, ranging from lack of interest, lack of knowledge, lack of time. In this blog I offer you, if not a multitude, then a few, good reasons for voting in municipal elections.

1. Municipal officials make decisions that effect the little details in your life that you probably find important – for eg. How often your garbage is picked up, where you can park and when your sidewalks will be cleared of snow.

 2. Municipal officials set the property tax rate – even if you rent, this impacts you as rents increase when taxes increase.

3. If you are not on the voters list, you can still vote by bringing a piece of i.d. with you to the poling station – it doesn’t take long.

4. We are fortunate to live in a democracy where everyone has a voice. If you don’t vote, your voice is not heard and that makes democracy less effective as the voice of few is heard, not the voice of many.

 Next month we will celebrate Remembrance Day and reflect on the lives lost in defence of freedom of our way of life. Failing to vote when you have the right to do so makes those lives lost, lives lost in vain.

Inga B. Andriessen, J.D.