Vote for individuals, not for parties

Well, after all the cookies were served, the pens and condoms handed out and tons of promises made, it is finally up to the students to get out and choose who will represent the next Concordia Student Union (CSU).

Now before I start pressuring you with my own political agenda, let me remind you that if you haven’t cast your ballot yet, you have a responsibility to vote either today or tomorrow. Last year’s election saw 1,000 less voters than in 2004, and in order to have a party that appropriately represents all ConU students, everyone must partake in the voting process. Don’t worry, it’s not hard and there’s voting booths everywhere.

More importantly though, when you’ve gained enough courage to approach a booth, vote for the individuals you want, not the parties they represent. If we learned anything from this year’s federal election it’s that party leaders will say just about anything to get your vote. Furthermore, this year’s election also taught the Vancouver electorate that voting for an individual MP doesn’t necessarily reflect which party you’d like to see in power.

I’m of course talking about David Emerson. Remember him, the faithful Liberal MP from BC? Now remember how he crossed the floor and is now our minister of international trade and minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. Well, it seems his Liberal supporters are a little upset over what happened and now one Vancouver-Kingsway resident is planning to fly over Parliament April 4, with a sign that reads, “David Emerson Call Home.”

Imagine planes flying over our campuses? Okay, maybe we won’t have quite as much drama as that, but this situation does raise some good questions. For instance, how many representatives have approached you to let you know why they will be a good choice for the CSU? At the university level, isn’t it reasonable to ask individual candidates their own agenda and not that of their party?

So, I’ll make it short and very concise. Today if you see any of those familiar smiling faces that are pasted all over our walls walking in the hallways, track them down and ask them questions. If you see them in class, pull them out and ask them questions. Besides, having them miss a class is the price they have to pay to work in public office, right? And finally, if you don’t know anything about anyone, don’t care, or wouldn’t know who to vote for even if you did, spoil your ballot. By spoiling your vote, you are showing your dissatisfaction with the electoral process and the way things are run. This decision far exceeds those who choose not to vote at all because spoiling your ballot doesn’t promote apathy, it promotes a passion for democracy.

After all, if we can’t do it now, the David Emersons of the future will just keep on coming.

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