The Canada Elections Act is getting some tweaks, and all of them move us in a positive direction.
The reforms to federal elections, announced last week by federal Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc, include an extra two days of advance voting, improving the process of voting by mail, creating dedicated, on-site voting for people living in long-term care facilities, and, at long last, taking steps so that people can vote at any polling place in their riding.
During the past 10 to 15 years, we’ve seen similar reforms and expansions of voting opportunities at the provincial and municipal level, too. More early voting days, in particular, have been welcomed by those seeking to cast a ballot.
What they haven’t done, at least not yet, is convince non-voters to get off the couch and head to the polls.
Canadians vote in pretty good numbers, at least at the federal and provincial levels (the less said about dire turnouts for municipal elections, the better).
During the most recent federal election in 2021, turnout was 62.6 per cent, down from 67 and 68.3 per cent in the previous two contests.
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By contrast, in the 2020 presidential election in the United States, only 66 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots, despite the framing of the contest as nigh-apocalyptic.
The question of how to get more people to vote is often framed as though something is wrong with the non-voters.
Why don’t they see how the issues affect them? Why can’t they get off their backsides and put a mark on a piece of paper? Are they lazy or ignorant or what?
We should turn that question around.
Why should you vote?
Does voting reliably change your life for the better? If you look around and see that things are more or less the same for you and your family, regardless of which party holds the reins in Ottawa, can you be blamed for staying at home?
Voting reforms that make it simpler for voters are welcome. But the biggest reform is to make government work better.
When government is better at reliably delivering what the parties promise – prosperity, security, and a hope for better days yet to come – then voting will probably increase all on its own.
– M.C.